Unlikely Attractions
by KiwiStar
Summary: She's the shy, soft-spoken girl who easily faded into the background. He's the confident Superstar who was recognized everywhere he went. They were two totally different people, but can opposites really attract? John Morrison/OC
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is the re-written version of This is How a Hart Breaks. Now it's titled Unlikely Attractions. Um, I only own my OCs, Shay Hart and whatever OCs I may mention throughout this story, lol. Read and review, please. Also, I'd like to thank my E-sista Angel for beta-reading this!LOL, Mucho grande thanks to you, girl:)**

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Chapter One: Another Hart

_*Shay POV*_

Walking slowly down the hall, I knew I was going to be late. I didn't even try to rush myself, it would only cause harm to both me and the people around me. Looking around shyly, I made sure no one was around. If I were to fall, no one would see me, which was a good and bad thing. Good because I wouldn't go through a miniature panic attack over having so much attention on me and bad because if I were to seriously injure myself, no one would be around to help me.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I sighed as I came across a patch of backstage workers working with a bunch of thick wires that were strewn about the area. This couldn't possibly end well. They nodded and one gave a small wave. "Good morning, Ms. Hart."

I only nodded and he understood. Carefully weaving my way through the mess of wires, I tried to set my foot over a wire, but it ended up landing directly on it. The wire slid from beneath my foot, causing me to fall backwards and land hard on my butt. A deep scarlet blush flushed my cheeks as I slowly got to my feet. The crew didn't seem to notice, they were all used to it by now.

I moved quickly to the other side of the hall and quietly opened the door to the room I was supposed to be in. The entire meeting stopped and everyone turned to look at me. Vince stopped mid-sentence and looked me over. "Ms. Hart, you're late. Luckily we're only twenty minutes into it. Have a seat." He gestured to the room full of his employees. Slowly, I shuffled to the back, almost tripping on my way.

"Hurry, Shay, and preferably without breaking a bone." Vince sighed. "I have enough people on the injured list anyways…" He mumbled. For the next two and a half hours, he went on about ratings and how to improve them, also how much of a profit we were making and that due to the economy, any slackers will probably be released.

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After the meeting was over, I waited until almost everyone had left to try and leave the room. My foot got caught on the leg of a chair and I fell to the ground. The person in the chair, who just happened to be Dolph Ziggler, laughed. "Walk much, Stutterbug?'

A shadow loomed over us and I gulped. I didn't turn to see who it was, but was expecting the worst. "Hey, Mr. Ziggles, leave the lady alone and go pick on someone your own size."

"What are you trying to do? Rack up some Community Service points? Charity work?"

"Nick, I'm serious. Leave her alone."

I gulped again. He only called Dolph by his real name if he was really angry at him. Dolph stood and shrugged before running a hand over his hair. "Fine, whatever you say." As he passed me he snickered.

The person who helped me kneeled down to my level and took a hold of my arm before pulling me to my feet. "You okay?" I nodded and cleared my throat. "Good." He smiled and ran a hand through his brown hair. Subconsciously, I fingered my long, golden curls. As I walked out the door and made it to catering, I glanced at him. The man still hadn't left my side.

He followed me through the line and I periodically kept glancing at him. The man noticed my glances and smiled. Once he and I had gathered out meals and we sat down, I began eating mine in silence. It was the continuous span of awkward silence that made me blush deeper, which caused him to chuckle. "You can talk to me, I don't bite. Unless you want me to." The confident and joking gleam in his eye sparkled.

"T-thanks for the h-help with Nick." I spoke, voice barely above a whisper. The soft voice was completely natural and went well with my clumsiness and shyness. Truthfully, I didn't like to talk because I always stuttered and tried to avoid it as much as possible. Because of that, everyone says I don't fit in with my family. I'm not outgoing, I don't have the confidence that people usually spot in people who are in my family.

"See, nothing bad happened. Oh, and your welcome."

"I-If the only reason you followed me here was for a thanks, why are you still here? I can't stand it w-when people screw with my head."

He looked around before pulling on his signature sunglasses. "If anybody asks, _you_ sat down _here._" When I looked down again, he looked sympathetic and lifted my chin to look me in the eye. "Hey, I'm sorry. That was a bit far." I looked out of the corner of my eye, catering was empty. So this obviously couldn't be a joke, right? "I wouldn't make fun of somebody because they're different, at least not nowadays. I've changed a bit since the Nitro days."

"I-I never doubted that." I whispered and he smiled.

"Well, thank you for having a kind of crappy lunch with me, it really helped me overcome the terrible food." He stood and nodded.

I turned away so he wouldn't see my blush. As he was about to walk away, I called out to him. "John?"

John Hennigan turned to look at me. "Yeah?"

"You never answered my question. Why did you stick around for as long as you did?" I bit my lip waiting for his response. He chuckled.

"You intrigue me."

This confused me. To me, nothing about me could possibly be intriguing. "W-why?"

Shrugging, he smirked. "It's one of those things that just can't be explained." He turned around again and I couldn't help but smile. I was so lost in thought that I jumped when somebody put their hand on my shoulder. They winced and quickly apologized. Looking up, I saw the Hart Dynasty.

"Oh. H-hi Nattie, TJ, Dave." I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hey, girl. Come on, it's time for our match." Nattie smiled. She and I knew each other since before we could remember and was a close friend, as was TJ and Dave. I nodded and stood, following them. I was already dressed in my ring gear, well it was my normal outfit because I was currently being a valet due to an 'injured' wrist. Vince just wanted me out of the ring for 'dramatic' effect.

Currently, I wore black cargo pants and a pink off-the-shoulder one-sleeved shirt with a black leather jacket and black/pink combat boots. Quickly bandaging my left wrist, I made sure it was on straight before the Hart Dynasty's music blasted. Suddenly, Justin Robert's voice came through on his mic and I immediately followed them out onto the ramp.

"From Calgary, Alberta Canada, being accompanied to the ring by Shay Hart, the Hart Dynasty!"

Did I forget to mention that I'm the daughter of Bret "The Hitman" Hart?


	2. Unanswered Questions

**Okay, this is Chappy 2,lol. Um, I only own Shay. Thanks to Angel for beta-reading this, you rock Angel!:) Please read and review:)**

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Chapter Two: Unanswered Questions

_*John Morrison POV*_

I watched her as she slowly made her way down the hall, tugging a silver suitcase behind her while balancing two bags on her free arm and one precariously on the rolling suitcase. All around her there were at least ten people who could've helped her, but didn't. It sickens me how they treat her. She has done absolutely nothing to any of them and they act like she has the plague. Jogging down the hall and past the ignorant baboons, I came up next to her before stopping. "Shay!"

Stopping abruptly, the bag on her suitcase plopped off and the ones on her shoulder fell to the ground. "Y-yes?"

"Um, do you want some help with your bags?" I smiled, hoping it would ease her tension, but it seemed that nothing could. She blushed and looked at the ground before running a hand through her hair.

"Uh, I wouldn't want to bother you…"

"Shay, I volunteered, it wouldn't bother me at all." Without further speaking, I hefted two over my shoulder and handed one of them back to her.

"T-thanks." We walked along in complete silence and ignored the stares we were getting. Well it was complete silence until we got into her room.

"Hm, we're in the same room. I didn't know it was double-booked." I shrugged and she tensed up again. "Are you okay with that?"

"I-I guess, it's not like we have a choice."

"You always have a choice, it depends whether you want to deal with the consequences or not."

"Yeah, but somebody like you rooming with somebody like me is social suicide, for you. You probably don't want your 'popular' status to drop to 'beyond geeky'."

I paused. I didn't know what to say. She was probably wondering what 'somebody like me' was doing helping out a 'girl like her'. There was some sort of invisible, magnetic force drawing me to her and I couldn't explain it. Truly, I didn't care about my 'status' or whatever that meant, even though it may not seem like it, I was a very deep, caring person. Finally, I just spurt out whatever came to mind and sounded witty. "How does somebody like you define somebody like me?"

She sighed, knowing that I wasn't going away. "Somebody like you is somebody who can just stand there and attract people to them. Me, you have to get to know in order to see if you'd want to be a friend or not. You're a people person, and I'm not. Which brings me back to my question from a while ago, how could _you_ be intrigued by me?"

Even I didn't know the answer. "Shay, you've been in this business for a very long time, how can you only have a few friends?"

"Have you seen me try to walk, or even talk half the time? I-I stutter and I'm clumsy and I look boring. Nobody _wants_ to get to know me." She shrugged.

"I want to get to know you, and just so you know, there's a _lot_ more to me than what all those idiots we work with see. Yeah, some of them are friends and others assume they're my friend." I replied. "Just like a lot more people admire you than you think."

"What, who?"

"I'm not at liberty to say anything, I'm sworn to secrecy and I always keep my promises."

"Really?" She sounded as if she didn't believe me, or maybe it was just how she talked.

"Yeah, and I promise to learn more about you." I stepped towards her and she took a step towards me.

"There's a lot to learn." She said, voice barely above a whisper. Our face were inches apart, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm a fast learner." I shot back and I swore we were just about to kiss when Nattie burst in. She gasped at the sight of Shay and I, almost close to kissing. Immediately, Shay jumped back in alarm and fell onto the bed. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair and her face flushed a deep scarlet as she looked away from her close friend.

Nattie got over her shock and stammered through her sentence. "U-uh, Vince w-wants both of you in his…office, first thing…tomorrow."

I nodded and ran a hand through my own hair before clearing my throat. "I should go tell the guys I won't be hanging out with them tonight." I smiled towards both Divas. "Bye, Shay, Nattie. Oh, and Shay, I'm looking forward to our first lesson." Getting over the awkwardness, I gently waved and she just nodded. Ducking out of the room, I smiled. I'd be the first one to willingly get to know Shay Hart.

_*Shay POV*_

As soon as John left and she shut the door, Nattie turned to me and squealed. "What was that?"

"Huh?"

"Where you just about to _kiss_ John Hennigan? The Friday Night Delight?"

"Um, no. We we're just talking." I answered and she scoffed.

"About 'your first lesson' and what exactly are you going to be teaching him?"

"H-he said he wanted to know more about me." I stated and shifted my eyes away from her.

"Seriously, that's…wonderful, you might make a new friend. Honey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because, I haven't 'made a friend' in years."

"Hon, at some point in time, you'll have to accept that you're a wonderful person and anybody would be lucky to be your friend." She was about to say something else, but John had returned carrying his stuff. "I have to go, remember Vince wants to see you two in his office pronto tomorrow." She left and I just nodded and rubbed my neck as John replaced Nattie on the bed.

"Everything alright?"

"W-why wouldn't it be?" I asked and he shrugged.

"You just seemed a little tense, that's all."

"I'm always like this." I answered briskly. All of a sudden it seemed very awkward between us. "Hey, how about this, si-since you're learning about me, I'll try and learn about you."

He smiled. "It's a deal." We shook hands and went to bed soon after.

In the morning, I stood over John's still-sleeping form. I was ready to go in light denim jeans, a dark blue t-shirt with a crème colored sweater. Wrapping it the right way and tying the belt, I ran a hand through my hair, which was half up. Contemplating waking him up, I nervously reached out and pat his shoulder. "J-John?" He didn't stir and I sighed. Shaking him gently, I repeated his name a few more times before he finally cracked one eye open.

"What time is it?" He groaned.

"Almost eight. I wasn't sure what time and Vince doesn't like to be kept waiting." I replied quickly and he smirked.

"Don't worry, Shay." He got up and I shyly looked away, seeing as he was shirtless…and pants less, for that matter. It seemed as though he smirked at this and he rifled through his bag for a lean shirt and jeans before quickly brushing his hair. "Ready?"

"So you _don't_ take an hour in the bathroom?" I asked as a joke, hoping he'd get it. Chuckling, he shook his head.

"Not if there's a beautiful woman, who it would be a shame to keep waiting." I blushed and ran a hand over my face. He sighed. "Before we go, can we add on to our deal? Can I…help you gain more confidence with yourself?" I bit my lip and nodded and he smiled gain before reaching over and redid my hair, only putting the sides up and putting some over each shoulder. "See, your hair looks really good like that, and I should know, I'm the hair god."

"Thanks." We didn't speak anymore until we got to Vince's office, where Vince looked at us and his eyes widened in shock.

"Why, I didn't expect you two to show up together."

"We had the same room." John stated and Vince looked even more shocked.

"I didn't room you two together, though. Hm, might as well get used to it, you'll be rooming together for a long time. I'm putting you two as tag team partners in next weeks show, eventually you'll become more than that and we'll see where it ends up." He nodded and looked at us. "Anything you'd like to add, the script's will be handed out to you later."

"Um, sir, when you say 'more than that' do you mean a romantic storyline?" John asked.

"Yes, I think you two will match up perfectly. Shay knows how to professionally handle herself, and I think the fans may like it. We'll work out other details later." Vince replied, fiddling with a pen. I blushed as his eyes fell on me. "I am right, aren't I?"

"Y-yes, sir," I nodded and fiddled with the hem of my shirt.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're hanging out with different people, John. Um, Shay, may I speak to John alone?" I nodded and slowly got up and was halfway to the door when I tripped over my own two feet. John, who was standing to get the door for me, caught me in one arm and smiled.

"You okay, Shay?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper as he pulled me upright. I nodded before he opened the door and let me go. As he closed the door behind him, I sighed and walked as carefully as possible to catering where I plopped down next to Nattie and Melina, two of my only friends in the business.

"Are you okay?" The Latina asked.

"I-I have a storyline change." I muttered.

"That's great, who's it with?" Mel asked.

"John, Smackdown's John." I clarified and they both shrugged. "A romantic storyline." I clarified even more and their eyes widened.

"You've never been in a romantic storyline before. God, honey, will this be affected by…" Nattie trailed off, not wanting to bring back bad memories.

"I-I don't know." I replied, burying my face in my hands. "I'm over that, but _he isn't_." I emphasized and shook my head, just as John sat next to me. Just what I needed, a distraction. For some reason, he was intrigued by me. Something about me made him that way and I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't eating away at me yet, but I was sure it would eventually. "J-John, don't we have a signing soon?"

John looked at me and smiled before nodding and leading me out the door. Another thing that didn't quite bother me, but confused me, was that Vince wanted to speak to John alone. Pushing the question out of my head, I walked silently with John to the car and to the signing.


	3. The Start of Becoming Friends

_*Shay POV*_

I sat and watched John's and Mike's Dirt Sheet backstage. Fiddling with the hem of my shirt, I silently rooted for John in my head. I had no idea why. It wouldn't have really mattered to me who won and who lost. Something inside me was on John's side, simply because he wanted to get to know me. I had known Mike for quite some time, but he never really noticed me.

Suddenly, John's music blasted and it brought me from my thoughts. Smiling, I nodded. "Go meet him at the gorilla. It'll make him feel special." Melina smiled from behind me and I nodded again before scurrying out the door. I made my way through the halls and finally got to my destination. John had just come through as soon as I had gotten there and he smiled when he saw me.

John moved to stand in front of me and was about to say something when Dolph stormed in. He stopped to talk to John. "Listen up, Morrison. I have no idea how you still have the title. Just like I have no idea why you'd want to spend your time around _this_." He spat at me before literally pushing past me. I almost fell, but John had already caught me. It seemed that he was always catching me.

"Hey, are you okay?" He whispered and I hastily nodded.

"I-I'm fine. So, what are you up to after the show?" I asked and he brushed his hair away from his face.

"Well, we could go out for coffee, if you want." He suggested.

"Yeah, s-sounds good.. " I smiled shyly and he walked with me, his hand almost touching mine. As soon as I realized this, I moved my hand into my pocket. Glancing at him, my mind slunk back into amazement. There was this guy, who was totally _hot_, walking right next to me as if he belonged there. He was actually into me, I intrigued him and made him question the law of society. He wasn't tripping me, or mocking me in the slightest. John had everything I didn't; self confidence, a solid, strong voice that made people want to listen. There was a bold impression he made just by the way he walked, he could probably get a job by just walking in there and smiling.

I couldn't do that. I'd be stumbling and stuttering to no end. The way I dress myself is completely opposite of what the other Divas do. There aren't any miniskirts, or even skirts in my closet. Tube tops, crop tops, and all those revealing pieces aren't…me. In my opinion, I feel better wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. My voice is soft and often barely above a whisper, when I talk, people tune me out. John and I were complete opposites.

"Shay." I instantly turned to look at him, realizing we were in front of the door.

"Y-yeah?" I asked, brushing a lock of hair from my face. Mike had just caught up with John and they had begun talking until John gestured to me.

"You know Shay, right Mike?"

Mike, also known as "Miz" smiled. "No, I don't think so." He went to shake my hand and I nervously took it. "I'm Mike. So are you John's girlfriend or something?" The very thought made me blush and I shook my head. I even saw, John hide a blush, while thumping Mike on the back of the head. He winced. "It was just a question."

"N-no, we're not dating. And, I know who you are. I'm Shay Hart."

His jaw dropped. "Hart? I didn't know, other wise I would've been much more chivalrous."

I snorted. "I'm surprised you can even say chivalrous."

John chuckled. "Dude, that was a burn. Third-degree burn, man."

"So, Shay, are you new to the WWE, as a Diva."

"Oh, no, I-I've worked for Vince, as a Diva, since 2000. I-I was 21 and started out as an interviewer before working my way up." I explained.

"So, who are your friends?" I knew Mike was only being curious, but I still dreaded the question.

"W-well, on Raw there's Eve, Melina, Adam, Nattie, Lex. Although, they mostly became my friends through being forced to hang out with me. Adam introduced me to everyone."

"Oh." Mike replied, shifting somewhat away from me.

"Of course, John's two fifths of the way there." I added.

"Speaking of John, did you tell her about the party?" Mike asked his former tag team member.

"Not yet." John replied, turning towards me. "There's a Halloween Party being hosted by a few Superstars, invitations were sent out yesterday. Did you get one?"

I shook my head and Mike tapped John's shoulder. "Dude, can I talk to you privately for a moment?" John looked at me for approval and I just nodded. John followed Mike into a nearby locker room.

_*John POV*_

Mike calmly cleared his throat. "Well, please tell me that you're doing this because you lost a bet."

"I'm doing this because some people need to be able to rely on more than just five people." I replied, getting slightly angry at him for putting a up a front in front of Shay. The last thing she needed was someone who was kind to her in her presence, but did the same thing everybody else does, hate her for no particular reason behind her back. "And because something about her is just…amazing."

He scoffed. "Yeah, her breast size, other than that, she just has a profound clumsiness and stutter. There's nothing special."

I glared at him. "Maybe because no one ever looks long enough to find something special about her."

"That's what I was going to ask you about. What do you see in her? She could bring you down."

"Or, she could make me stronger.. All I'm doing is learning about how someone else sees the world, what's so wrong with that? Just do me a favor, don't act like her friend in front of her and then diss her behind her back. You're either her friend, or not her friend. Don't screw with her head, we saw what it did to Isabella, and she can handle things like that better than Shay can. She already has to deal with enough of the roster, she doesn't need to add you to the list." With that I walked out, and tried to wipe the anger off my face, even smiling when Shay smiled shyly. "Hey." Casting a glance over my shoulder, I saw Mike shake his head at me as I put an arm over Shay's shoulders. He just walked away, shaking his head as he went. Luckily, Shay didn't notice anything.

When we got to the café, and got our table, Shay sighed and fiddled with the straw in her soda.

"So, there's got to be something you want to talk about, Shay."

"W-well, I could hear you and Mike arguing. I-I couldn't hear what you were arguing about, though."

"Oh, it was just some storyline stuff."

"Mmhm, so if you're waiting to hear my life story, it's not that long. I basically started out as the kid who had so many friends because her dad was famous. Kids pretended to be my friend and I thought they were my friends. Then they all turned on me because no parties were ever at my house and I was getting too 'shy'. Funny thing is that the same thing happened when I joined the WWE. Everybody wanted to be my friend because of my 'backstage power'. When they realized I never used backstage power, they left. I wouldn't get them title shots, or the good tag team partners, or any special treatment. I didn't want to be treated special anyways.

"They began to tease and torment me to get what they wanted. Still, I refused and after awhile, the torment went from being driving by desire of royal treatment to the desire to see my misery. After all this time, I didn't even bother to have anything done about it. Nothing they've done has ever threatened my life." She continued.

"Shay, the things they've done are degrading. You'd feel so much more empowered if you'd make them stop." I stated.

"I-I've tried, okay? Nobody ever listens to me. Everything I say gets shot back with a smart remark."

"Yeah, well I'm here, I'm listening, and I'm staying silent." I took a drink of my own soda.

"W-well, I think that using your last name as a ticket out of everything is just…wrong. It means you never work a day in your life for anything. You get all the title shots without raising a finger. I-I've worked for everything I've earned in this business. I wait until Vince asks me if I feel ready to be Champion."

I chuckled. "And out of all second-generation, you're the one with the most power and yet you don't use it. I like a woman who can pull herself along without 'daddy's' help."

She smiled, amused. "Um, earlier you said something about a party?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me. It's a partner or singles and I figured since we're in a storyline, and getting to know each other, we should go together. It'd be fun."

"T-they wouldn't want me there, besides all I'd do is stand against the wall and look on as everyone else flourished."

"Prove them wrong."

"What?" She asked.

"Prove them wrong, be…non-Shay-like." I shrugged.

"I-I have to go." She hurriedly put on her coat and hustled out the door, nearly slipping on the tiles as she went, leaving me there in the café.


	4. Interesting Situations

**Sorry for the long update, and the fact that it's kind of short doesn't help either. Anyway, I don't own anything besides my OCs. I'd like to thank my beta, Angel, who has been so good at getting these documents back to me both safely and timely, lol, thanks girl, you rock:) Please read and review, thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far, they mean a lot to me:) Now you can enjoy this chapter, lol:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I followed behind John as he walked quickly through the halls. "J-John?" He turned to face me.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? I-I mean, well, it was booked and all, b-but…" I trailed off and he sighed.

"I'm fine, I'm just in a slight state of pain." He had lost to Dolph because the platinum blond had slammed John into the announcer's table. It looked more painful than it was supposed to be, and I was worried.

"Okay, t-that's good. S-So, I've been thinking, and I've d-decided that you should probably have my phone number."

He smiled and laughed. "You have a point." He quickly wrote his down and handed it to me. Taking it, I tucked it into my pocket before he took mine and did the same. "So are we still on for lunch?"

I gasped. "O-Oh my God. I-I'm so sorry John, I promised Vince I'd see him today and he's been wanting me in his office t-to talk over any changes. I-I would if I could, but I can't. Even for me, Vince is…"

"Vince." John finished. "It's alright, I understand. I'll see you later, Shay." He waved, and I waved back as I walked down the hall, almost falling over in the process. Concern crossed his face. "Shay-"

"I-I'm okay." I replied, already knowing what he was going to ask. John smiled again.

Later on, I sat on the couch in the Vince's office. "Shay, I wanted to talk to you about your new entrance theme. Since you're making a huge move, you need a change in theme, costume and obviously you're going to be a face now."

"Y-yeah. Did you have any ideas?"

"Well, I was going through a list of songs and what do you think about Miley Cyrus?"

"V-vince, I'm going to s-say something that most would find unusual for me…I-I'd rather shove rusty forks into my eyes than use Miley Cyrus."

"I had figured you'd say that. Um, hm, do you have any ideas?" He asked me and I blushed.

"Well, there's this one song…" I paused. "Unbreakable by Fireflight. I-It's really good and PG."

He chuckled at the last part. "Okay, that's good. Also, how are you getting along with John?"

"Pretty good, actually. It's gotten to the point where I don't start hyperventilating whenever he talks to me…" I chuckled. "It's going really well, Vince. T-thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"No problem, Shay. Now, if you don't mind, I've got some more business to attend to."

I nodded and bid him farewell as I walked out the door. Walking down the hall, someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a locker room. The door slammed shut and locked. I gasped as the light was turned on and I saw Dolph standing in front of me. He looked well beyond angry and he pinned my wrists to the side with his hands.

"You haven't said anything to John about our past, have you?" He asked roughly.

"N-no. I h-haven't." I tried to level out my voice, but it wouldn't stop shaking. Dolph brought his face close to mine as he smirked.

"Good, and you won't tell him, will you?" His expression hardened again as his grip tightened.

"N-no."

"Great." He released me and patted my cheek."Keep up the silence." He laughed and followed me out into the hallway again, where he promptly and discretely tripped me. Kneeling down, he frowned. "I'm serious, Shay. Not a word. Are we clear?"

"Yes." I nodded, and I bit my lip as past memories flooded my mind.

He laughed again. "It was great talking to you again, Shay." Standing, he walked away as I slowly leaned back against the wall. Without even bothering to stop myself, I began to cry.


	5. A Different Side

**Okay here's another chappy of UA! Go check out the poll on my profile if you'd like:) I only own my OCs. Thank you Angel for Beta-Reading this and thank you to all my readers. So please read, review, and enjoy:)**_

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_*John POV*_

"So, you don't find it odd at all?" Batista asked me as we walked into catering.

"Find what odd?"

"Shay, and the fact she can't get through a simple sentence without stuttering, looking anywhere but your eyes, and fidgeting. Or tripping, for that matter." He chuckled. "It's really entertaining."

"And how does that fit into what I do or don't find odd?"

He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging around her a lot recently. Storyline or no storyline. I'd try to avoid her as much as possible, whilst keeping my career."

"She's fine to me."

"Well, that's probably because her body's smoking, but that's the only thing she has going for her. After all, you can only get by on looks for so long before your personality has to do some work." CM Punk stated.

"Her dad is Bret Hart."

"Yeah, but she doesn't use the backstage power she could use."

"Do you two want to know what I _do_ find odd?" I asked and they broke away from their conversation to look at me.

"Sure thing, man." Batista smirked.

"I find it odd that the only thing you two seem to go on about is how you're feeling backstabbed and betrayed by your friends/fans, by anybody; yet, you seem perfectly fine backstabbing somebody who's done absolutely _nothing_ to you." I countered and they both raised their eyebrows.

"Hey, she sets it all up by being clumsy. It's hard not to make fun of her."

"Does that give us the right to make fun of you because you're straightedge?" I inquired, getting more and more annoyed as time went on. They hated Shay and she had done nothing, like always. They were kind to her face though, but as soon as her back was turned, the ridicule began. I had always hated two-faced people, this was just adding to my annoyance.

"No…but…"

"But nothing. " I started, but stopped when somebody tapped my shoulder. I whirled around to see Shay and I smiled. "Hi, Shay."

"Hey, John. Um, I-I don't know if we're supposed to match for our match or anything, but I kind of need help picking out an outfit. S-since you would know what goes with what, probably better than I do, referring to the numerous times somebody has snickered about what I-I've been wearing." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

I cast a side wards glance at Dave and Punk. They picked up on it and rolled their eyes before walking off. Smiling back at Shay, I nodded. "Sure, I'd love to see what you're planning for the Shay Hart Overhaul."

"I-I'm only changing my on-screen look." She shrugged and walked with me to the locker room. Shay was beautiful, and nobody saw that, except me. And her family, but they've known her all her life. "And I know it's not that big of a deal, but i-it's my first time not being a heel, so…"

"It's perfectly understandable." I chuckled as we entered the locker room. Nobody was there, but there was a rack that held about three clothing bags. Taking a seat on the couch, I ran a hand through my hair.

"O-okay, so I picked neutrals so it should match."

"You aren't in a match for Survivor Series." I wasn't a question , it was more of a statement.

"V-Vince decided it would be best. After all, I haven't competed for a while, besides a couple weeks ago. Besides, I accompany you to the ring on Survivor Series."

"Yeah, that's right. How could I forget?"

"It's alright. E-everybody usually forgets about me. I-I'm used to it."

"Why do you let them do that to you?!" I exclaimed, making her jump back in surprise. "Why do you let them pick on you and step all over you?"

"Because they're stronger than I am."

"No, they're not. You grew up in the Hart Dungeon. There's no way you're weak. You're one of the toughest people I know, because you take it day after day and you don't complain. You don't give up and wither away under pressure. You're very admirable." I finished my rant and sat back down. "I'm sorry for yelling, it's just…"

"Nattie, Adam, my whole gang used to do that all the time. They've always known the qualities that end up being hidden."

"Why do you hide who you are?"

"I-I'm not hiding, I'm just, putting forth who I am and p-people ignore the good qualities. Instead, they pick out the bad." She stuttered as she grabbed a clothing bag. "Like my s-stuttering or clumsiness, for instance." Shay shrugged as if it was no big deal and carefully walked to the shower area. Despite my best tries, I found myself watching her hips swaying slightly as she walked. Shaking my head, I glanced around the room. Laying down, I began counting the ceiling tiles when I hear a slight knocking.

Turning to look at the doorway to the shower area, I saw Shay standing there. "S-sorry if I took too long."

Shaking my head 'no' I gazed at her in amazement. She wore light denim jeans with black combat boots and a tight, white haltertop that tied around the neck and showed off the her shoulders and arms, and part of her back. A white, studded belt was looped through her belt loops and she ran a hand through her hair.

"W-well?"

"You look…amazing."

"So, is this the one?"

"I won't know until I see the other ones." I replied and she nodded before grabbing the other ones and heading back into the area. If that was only the first one, I was curious to see what other ones she had. It seemed as though she was a completely different person out in the ring than backstage. Now that we've become somewhat friends, she's been a lot more open around me, you could say. She's more bubbly and happy than when I first spoke to her.

"J-John?" At the mention of my name, I turned my head to look at her again.

Shay was wearing a chocolate brown tube top styled dress that went right above the knee. She had a gold necklace and bracelets with her black high heels. I could tell she didn't really like it, neither did I. It didn't seem…her. "Nope, not the one." She nodded as I said this and went back into the shower area. Leaning back, I wondered what the last one would be like. The first one was good, the second one was alright, and now I couldn't wait for the last one.

Ten minutes later, Shay cleared her throat. "U-um, John?" I turned once again to look at her and my jaw dropped.

This time, she wore a dark jeans with a black tube top and her black boots. A gold chain that had a pink maple leaf pendant hung from the end, was fastened around her neck. The pendant lay directly on her cleavage, which was well shown, but not in a skanky way. Shay's hair was straightened and draped beautifully over her shoulders. Around her wrist was a gold bracelet and around her waist was a hot pink studded belt. She looked…beautiful and hot. Giving her two thumbs up, I nodded. "This is it."

Shay smiled and walked up to me. Standing up, I wrapped her in a hug and swirled her around. "You look…wow. I-I'm speechless. This isn't…you."

"There's s-still a lot of things you don't know about me John." She reminded gently as she draped her arms around my neck.

"How about this, there's another party tonight. Why don't you just come dressed like this?"

"I-I couldn't, John. It would be completely inappropriate."

"You'd be wearing a jumpsuit compared to what half of them will be prancing around in. We're glad to see a Diva dressed in _half_ of what you're wearing now. Hmm, Maria would probably go for a shorter shirt and a micro-miniskirt. I'm scared to even think about what Michelle would do to it…you look fine, Shay. Trust me on this."

"I-I can't. I'm sorry, John."

"It's alright. I shouldn't be pushing you out of your comfort zone. It's alright." I frowned, but tried not to let my disappointment show. Sighing, she looked down at the ground before looking at me.

"W-when does this party start?" She asked.

"In half an hour." I replied. "You don't have to go, I'll stay behind."

"W-well there's no sense in changing, is there?" Shay smiled sweetly and I grinned.

"Thank you so much, Shay!" I laughed and hugged her. "Let's go!" I put an arm over her shoulder as she pulled on a light coat. I wore dark jeans with a black button-down shirt that had the first four buttons undone, showing a little bit of chest, but not too much.

As we walked down the hall, I realized everybody had already gone to the party. Nobody saw us except for a few technicians. Well, that is until we ran into Vince.

He looked quizzically down at Shay. "What in God's name are you wearing?"

"U-um…is it too much?" She asked shakily.

"No, you look perfect. Next week, on Smackdown you two are cutting a promo and Shay, no more small roles in storylines. This one, is going to feature both of you equally, finally Smackdown has a reason to be very proud of it's Divas. Good job, Ms. Hart." With that he walked off and I chuckled.

"Looks like you'll be up with the big dogs, now." I smiled.

"W-which means Women's Championship opportunities an who knows what." She chuckled too and we went to the party.

As soon as she stepped into the room, they all stopped to look at her. She did look very different and I could see the surprise on their faces. A sense of power and pride washed over me. She was proving them wrong at this very moment and it was only the beginning. Soon, they'd be regretting everything they had ever said to her.

"Wow, Shay you look…different." CM Punk nodded in approval.

"Thanks." She nodded back.

"Shay Elizabeth Hart! After how many years of knowing each other and you _finally_ bring out this side of you. I haven't seen this since…" Matt trailed off as Shay gave him a look. He instantly cut off his sentence. "Since a long time ago." He hugged her and went off to dance with Layla.

"Hey, Shay?"

"Y-yes, John?"

"Would you like to…dance?"

"I-I can't…" She began.

"If you can dress like that and leave the house, you can dance." I replied as I grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. As soon as we got on it, a low song came on. Guardian Angel, by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus began to play and I suddenly became nervous and I didn't know why. "May I?"

She only nodded and I put my hands around her waist and pulled her close to me. Shay gasped and draped her arms over my shoulders. We swayed to the music and I took this as an opportunity. "Shay?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've learned a lot these past few weeks and…"

"May I cut in?" I looked to see Dolph standing there, holding out his hand. Shay nodded and smiled sweetly at me.

"I-I'll talk to you later, John." She took Dolph's hand and walked away with him. I saw him holding her close and dancing off to the side.

_*Shay POV*_

"You two look like you're getting close." He stated.

"Y-yeah, we're friends." I replied, nervous as he held me.

"I can't remember the last time you and I danced." Dolph sighed as he reminisced.

"W-well I am easily forgettable."

He chuckled. "That is true. Just so you know, Shay, our little secret _better_ not become a widespread rumor."

"I've a-already been trusted to silence." I whispered and he chuckled again.

"I know that and you've been doing great. Keep it up…or else." He added darkly and the song ended. Quickly making my way back to John, he instantly noticed my distressed look.

"You okay, Shay?"

"N-no. C-can you please take me back to the hotel?" I asked and he nodded before leading me back to the car and driving me back to the hotel.


	6. Survivor Series

** Here's another chappy of Unlikely Attractions. I only own my OCs and the plot. Thank you Angel for beta reading this, I really appreciate it, otherwise, I'd be swimming in weeks of updates...lol. Oh and go vote on my poll if you haven't already:) Thank you all who ahve reviewed so far, this story as a lot of reviews and it's only 6 chappies long, I am so proud of it,lol. Read and review, please:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I sat beside Mickie in the locker room as she viciously shoved things into her bag. Earlier on Smackdown a few nights ago, she had a match with Layla and afterwards, Michelle delivered a pretty degrading song for her. It was considered low…even for Michelle's standards. Even though it hardly compared to what she's done to me. After all, she does ridicule me, trip me, mock me, almost every single day, then there was that one time she cut my outfit to make it very…revealing and I had to go to the ring in it. Yeah, I suffered worse, but Mickie wasn't used to that. Right now, it was Sunday, before the PPV.

"Shay?"

It caught my attention. Not only was her voice shaky, which was very abnormal for Mickie, but she was saying _my_ name. Instantly, I prepared myself for an insult. "Y-yeah?"

"Is this how she is?"

I knew the conversation was about Michelle. "Yeah…p-pretty much." I replied as I laced up my boots. I felt bad for putting it really bluntly, but there wasn't any other way to describe it.

"And you take it day after day? No fighting back and no anger?"

"I-I've grown used to it." I shrugged and Mickie scoffed.

"You don't grow used to torture. I've seen what she does to you and it makes what she did to me look like child's play." Mickie chuckled. "I can't believe it. I was on top on Raw. Now, I'm fresh meat."

"H-hey, I'm a veteran on this brand and they treat me like f-fresh meat." I sighed and she chuckled again.

"So what are you wearing our to the ring tonight?" She asked and I smiled as I drew out the garment bag.

"I have to g-get ready anyways. I'll be right back." I went into the shower area and changed into my new outfit. Smiling to myself, I ran my hand through my straightened hair and sighed with content. The WWE Universe was about to see a whole new side of myself.

Walking back out into the locker room, Mickie gasped. I wore black jeans that hugged my hips perfectly and a silver halter top that tied around my neck. Along with that, I had a white studded belt in the belt loops of my jeans and my black high heel boots. Around my neck was a silver chain with a maple leaf pendant on the end. My shirt was slightly sparkly, but not too much. "W-well?"

"I had no idea you wore heels."

"B-believe it or not, I'm not as…fragile as everyone seems to think." I said and she nodded.

"You look great, and you match John. Well done, I'm looking forward to seeing you on-screen." She gestured to the monitor. I nodded and left the locker room. Making my way through the halls, I knocked on the locker room door where John's team would be. Matt answered and as soon as he saw me, he smiled and opened the door wider to let me through.

As soon as he shut the door, everybody looked at me. Shelton, Evan, Finlay, Matt, and John stared at me before John smiled. "Hey there, Shay."

"H-hi. Um, just so you know, I'm adequate in leading people to the ring. A-after all, that's what I've been doing since the Hart Dynasty was f-formed." I muttered the last part.

"Well we can rest easy knowing that."

"It'll practically be six-on-five." Matt shrugged, being one of the only ones who believed in me.

"If you say so, Matt." Evan chuckled. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. B-be careful tonight. Your opponents aren't exactly the cleanest players in the game."

"That's only on-screen, Shay." Shelton replied.

"Yeah, everybody else might not be holding a grudge, but D-dolph takes things too far, sometimes. I-I'm sure Mike, Jack, Drew, and Sheamus are nice, but Dolph is…Dolph." I chuckled lightly and bit my lip. "There isn't really any other way to describe him."

"Amen to that, sista!" Shelton laughed. "C'mon, we have to go."

John nodded and led us down to the gorilla, just as the music played for us to go out there.

"And their opponents, being accompanied to the ring by Shay Hart…Team Morrison!"

I sighed as I walked backstage with Team Morrison, which was deduced to Shelton, Matt, and John because Evan and Finlay had to leave. John threw an arm over my shoulder and smiled. "I think your outfit distracted the other team."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"It was probably distracting us. We have never seen you like this before, Shay." Shelton smiled.

"Yeah, t-this is only an appearance. It only shows up when I'm on-screen."

"You should keep it around, you could grow a lot of confidence in yourself. You're beautiful, it wouldn't hurt to flaunt what ya got." Shelton shrugged.

"T-thanks, Shelton." I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. He nodded as he and Matt left. "Anything new with you?"

"Nope." He chuckled as we got to the locker room. There wasn't anybody else besides Mike and I sighed. John moved away a little and Mike got up to come towards us.

"Hey guys." He smiled and hugged John. "Great match out there. Shay, you look very nice." Mike nodded politely.

"Thanks."

"You should dress this way more often." Mike smiled

"I-I couldn't."

"Why not, you look great." He chuckled. "I should knock some sense into you." He joked, and I knew it was a joke. I snorted and before I stopped myself, I replied.

"Go ahead, it wouldn't be the first time a guy's hit me before." Silence followed and I looked up to see John and Mike hovering over me. "Um…"

"Shay, what did you just say?" John asked.

"N-nothing." I quickly stammered.

"Shay." John stated and I couldn't lie to him, I just couldn't. He had been so kind and I was already in trouble. I had told the secret and sooner or later, _he'd_ hear about it. I winced as John got closer and he noticed the flinch. Backing up a step, he ran his hand through his hair. "Shay." He said, quieter as he took my hand. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"You said it wouldn't be the first time a guy has hit you before. Please Shay, tell us what's going on." Mike pleaded and even though I knew he probably didn't care too much about me, he did care that a woman was in danger.

"I-it was a past boyfriend. It's all over now."

"Who was this boyfriend?" John asked.

"I-I can't say." I murmured. "I-I'm not ready to say."

"You don't trust us, and that's understandable." Mike sighed. "But please, just don't go anywhere without John, okay? I'll call every now and then to check up on you."

"W-why? You don't like me."

"That's because I misjudged you. I was wrong and I'm sorry." He stuck out his hand. "Truce?"

I shook it and smiled shyly. "Truce." Mike nodded before grabbing his stuff.

"I have to go, guys. I have a Raw show to get to." Mike stated as he left the locker room. As soon as he left, John pulled me into a tight hug and stroked my hair with one hand.

A spark lit up inside my heart and millions of butterflies fluttered around my stomach. Looking up at him, I saw the concern wash over his features and settle into his chocolate brown eyes. Carefully, as if this was a dream, I returned the hug and rested my head on his shoulder.


	7. Learning

**Here's UA!lol. Sorry it's a little late...hehe. I only own Shay, nothing else. Thank you Angel for beta-reading this, you rock! Thank you to all my reviewers:) And if you haven't yet, please go vote on my poll:) Read, review, and please enjoy:)**_

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_*John POV*_

I looked over at Shay as I studied the plane we were on. Every time, my eyes ended up falling on her. She was listening to her MP3 player and mouthing the words to the song. A smile crossed my lips and I tried to imagine what was going through her head, hoping it wasn't anywhere near my thoughts.

My mind was still racing around, trying to decode her. I've spent almost two months with her and still, she intrigues me. She's a mystery that has yet to be solved and I have yet to see her break free of her shell. Nudging her, I smiled as she paused the music.

"Yes?"

"What'cha listening to?" I asked and she shrugged before turning the screen to me for a few moments. "Ah, PCD…nice choice. Granted, I'm not a big fan of girlie music, but they are pretty talented. I like their dance routines."

A smile started to cross her lips as she shook her had head. "Yeah, they're pretty good." She nodded in agreement. I chuckled just knowing I got her to smile a little.

"Can you sing? After all, you can mouth the words like a pro."

"I-I'm okay…not the best in the world, but I'm okay."

Suddenly, a voice from behind her chortled. "Don't listen to her, John. She's practically a pro."

Shay's face lit up like a child's on Christmas and she jumped out of her seat to hug the other blond. An excited giggle passed her lips and a part of me wanted her to look at me that way. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as he returned the hug. "Adam! I missed you so much!"

"I missed ya too, Shay Butter." Adam Copeland chuckled. "How've you been, Shay?"

"Good, how about you?"

"I'm doing fine. Have things gotten worse since I left?" He asked and she nodded reluctantly. "Do you want me to…"

"No, Addy. I-it's fine. I can handle this." She assured him.

"The last time you said that you got a black eye and wound up in the hospital." He whispered, but I picked it up.

"I've made a friend, though." She gestured to me and Adam smiled.

"That's good. Does he…"

"Yes, he treats me like a human being. S-stop worrying about me, Ad. Y-you have more important things to worry about. Hey, I gotta go talk to Nattie, I'll be right back. W-why don't you have a seat and talk with John for a while?" She gestured to her seat before walking off.

Adam sat down and sighed. "Hey, John."

"Hi, Adam." I greeted and he frowned at me. "You do treat her with respect, right?"

"Yes, I do. Why'd you call her, 'Shay Butter'?"

"Well, Shea butter is a moisturizer used in all sorts of stuff, she's soft, refreshing, and it matched her name. Shea butter, Shay Butter, get it?"

"Yeah. Hey, you've known her for years…can you give me a few tips. I want to get to know her, but I know nothing about her."

He chuckled. "If you think about it, you know more about her than you think. I'm not going to tell you anything, it took me years to figure her out and I wish someone was there to give me pointers. It wouldn't be fair and you just have to take the old-fashioned approach. Talk to her, ask her questions and listen when she talks. That's all you need to know."

I nodded and bit my lip before asking my next question. "What did you mean by 'last time you said that, you wound up in the hospital'?"

A sigh passed the Canadian's lips. "I can't say. Shay will tell you when she's ready. Until then, you'll have to wait."

"A few days ago she accidentally said that a guy had hit her before. Is that somewhere close?"

"John, I really can't tell you. If I could, I totally would, but it's not my place to say anything. If Shay trusts you, she'll let you in. Just don't play with her head." He glared at me with the last part.

Shay came back and sat beside Adam in the three-seat aisle. "Hey guys."

I nodded in response.

"So, Adam, when did you get on?"

"A while before you, I wanted to surprise you and as it turns out, I did. How's your dad?"

"Good, it's been a while since he's seen you." She smiled as an idea hit her. "Come with me when I see my dad for Christmas."

"I thought we were having a party…"

"We are, J-john. I just visit him on the day before Christmas Eve and usually have our Christmas then." She explained and I nodded.

"Oh." I replied, feeling like an idiot. I gazed out the window, eyes getting lost in the inky black sky, riddled with millions of dazzling stars. Slowly, another smile crept on my face. The stars reminded me of her, everything reminded me of her. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

The next thing I knew, someone was gently shaking me awake. Opening one eye, I saw Shay standing there, silhouetted by a beacon of sunlight streaming through the window. Her golden hair bounced as she whispered my name and slowly shook my shoulder. "C'mon, J-John. Wake up."

I mumbled something incoherent and ran my hand over my face. "Yeah?"

"It's noon, and it's time for us to get off the plane." She smiled sweetly at me as she took my hand and pulled me up.

"Whoa…" I stumbled and held onto her for balance. "I didn't know you were that strong."

"Hart Dungeon." Was her response as she grabbed our carry-on and tossed mine to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked nervously, she was acting a bit odd.

"I-I'm just in a great mood." She shrugged as she walked beside me. Shay and I went through security and rented a car before driving to the arena.

Once there, we dropped off our stuff in my locker room and sat down to go through our lines.

"So you're facing Escobar tonight, eh?" She asked, getting into her on-screen mode. I nodded as she smiled.

"Yeah, and you go against Michelle, right?" I asked back and she nodded.

"Good luck against Eric." Shay smiled as she walked closer. Soon, she was centimeters away from me.

"I don't need luck." I replied and she nodded.

"I'm sure you don't, but just in case…" She trailed off as she stood on her tip toes to give me a quick peck on the lips. A smile crossed my lips as she pulled back and walked off. Five seconds later, she came back. "Did I do an okay job?"

I nodded and smiled. "I'm going out tonight after the show."

"Okay then, have fun. I'll be…"

"Shay, I want you to come too."

"John, w-we've had this discussion before. I can't. The last time I had to leave early and cost you a fun night." She replied.

"Fine then, I won't go." I shrugged.

"John." Her voice was so adamant, it scared me. "This is exactly what I said would h-happen. You're social life is dying because you're hanging out with me."

"Shay, I just don't want you to be alone."

"I-I can handle myself." She scoffed. "I have no idea why you keep t-treating me like I'm a helpless child who always needs protecting."

"It's because you're so damn angelic that I don't want to see you get hurt. " I blurted out and mentally cursed myself. "I'm sorry, Shay." I looked up to face her, but she was gone. I growled and kicked the leg of the coffee table. I had said something I shouldn't have. She wasn't prepared for that and it was something I'd rather have kept to myself. Now she probably knows I'm starting to fall for her. The way she moves, the way she speaks is soft and angelic.

I went to go sit on the couch and stare at the wall, trying to think of what to say when I see here again. What was I supposed to say, 'Sorry I almost confessed my love to you, I didn't mean it.'? No, that would've been just as bad. The door opens and I growl.

"I don't care, I just want to be alone."

"J-John?"

I look up to see Shay standing there. "Sorry, have a seat." She nodded and sat next to me.

"Sorry I ran out, I needed to regain my composure. I-I'm just sick and tired of getting pushed around and…"

"I understand. I didn't mean to yell, I've been frustrated over certain things."

"Like…?" She asked.

"You. I just feel like I'm failing at learning anything from you or about you. I feel like we haven't made any progress and I want you to be able to honestly say that you can trust me, even if it is a little." I vented and she nodded.

"I do trust you, John." She whispered. "Just not enough to let you in all the way. I-I've been through a lot, and I don't trust easily…"

"I wouldn't either if I were you." I replied. "You're strong, not fragile. Now I know that."

She laughed and smiled. "See, you _did_ learn something."

I nodded and smiled back. "I guess you're right, I did learn…" I trailed off.


	8. Club Nights

**Here's a new chappy of UA!lol. I only own Shay and my other OCs. I'd like to thank Angel for beta-reading this and all my readers for reviewing!lol:) Please enjoy this chappy, read and review:)**

_*Shay POV*_

John looked at me expectantly before glancing around the room. I knew what he wanted to ask me, he was going to ask me to join him to a club that night. We had recently gotten back from our showdown with Drew McIntyre and he still had the anger of his TLC loss in his memory. I had stayed silent the entire time after the match, afraid he'd yell at me or something. Apparently, they didn't tell him he was dropping the title.

He was sitting on the couch, cursing himself and I sighed as I sat next to him. "If it makes y-you feel any better, I could leave you alone…"

"No, it wouldn't." He stated through gritted teeth. We stayed for a few minutes in silence as his breathing became smoother and smoother as he calmed down.

"H-he got lucky and became friends with the boss. He's not even half the man or champion you are. I-I mean he's not nearly as well built, or as good looking, n-nor does he have a good personality." I replied before I realized what I was saying. Blushing, I looked away.

"Thanks." He smiled and I could've sworn I'd melt. He was so…perfect. Perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect body, perfect personality…the list went on. Everybody loved him, he was charming, devilishly handsome, really sweet and a fantastic person. John was loyal, responsible, optimistic and was…popular. One of the things I wasn't.

It was strange to me how well we were getting along. After all, I rarely talked about anything whereas he always had something to say. He stands up for what he believes in when I just shy away because I'm too cowardly to stand up for myself. He never let on to being afraid, always had a reassuring thing to say and he's a great friend.

My friend, I remind myself. He's actually sticking by me, not teasing me or tripping me as I walked through the halls. As a matter of fact, he was the one catching me half the time.

"Um…y-you're welcome." I brushed a loose lock of hair behind my ear, but it fell forward again. John smiled and I blushed before getting up and walking to the other side of the locker room. Adam suddenly came in, a smile across his face.

"Hey, Shay!" He gave me a quick hug before cocking an eyebrow at me. "When was the last time you went out and had fun?"

"Adam…n-"

"Don't say never, Shay. You're coming with us tonight, even if we have to drag you by your feet."

I knew Adam was serious and I didn't bother arguing with him. "F-fine." I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest. Adam smirked triumphantly.

"Great, I gotta go though, so I'll see you guys later." He shook John's hand and hugged me before leaving.

John rummaged through his bag for a black button down shirt that coincidentally matched my black wrap sweater that went over my white long sleeved shirt.. "I take it you aren't changing?"

Shaking my head, I walked with him out into the hallway. "So what are you doing for the holidays?"

"I'm going to go up to Canada and seeing you, remember? Although I'll be there a day or so late, I have to take care of some personal stuff."

"Alright." I nodded as I kept walking, almost running into Vince. "H-hi, Vince."

He nodded back. "Shay." He smiled before his expression darkened at John. "John." Then, he walked off. John chuckled.

"What?"

"The man absolutely adores you, and he can't stand anybody else."

"What do you mean?"

"Being a multi-generation Superstar usually means that Vince has known you for quite some time and knows you on a personal level. Not many of us have that with our boss." John shrugged.

"So, he likes me. Big whoop. It's because I don't complain at all, I have nothing to disrupt his day about…I coast by unnoticed."

"You are most definitely not unnoticed." John sighed as he shook his head. We met with Adam by his car and he drove to the nearby club, where many of the Superstars had already arrived. Instinctively, I put my hands in my pocket's and moved closer to John. "You'll be fine."

"I know." I replied as I cleared my throat and we took a seat in a booth. The guys ordered a couple drinks and I shook my head when they asked me. . "No thanks," I whispered and swept a lock of hair behind my ear.

A couple hours passed of everybody dancing and I looked on. I knew I shouldn't have come, and I only did because John _and_ Adam asked me to. Now, had it only been one of them, I would've easily declined, but they both put a little in and I broke down. I glanced up to see John standing there. "Would you like to dance?"

"I-I can't. I can't dance."

"Neither can half the people on the floor, Shay." He stated, his eyes boring directly into mine. If I knew any better, he would probably start pouting. I began to wonder how his mood drastically changed.

"John…" I began, but made the mistake of looking at his face. He had the sweetest, most sincere smile on. I couldn't resist his smile and he had probably begun to realize that. "F-fine." I stood up and followed him onto the dance floor, knowing I shouldn't have.

As it turns out, I was right. Everybody around me was grinding on each other while John and I stood there. My stomach churned with the usual nervousness and I brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. John sighed and I shook my head, knowing I was probably letting him down. He had done so much for me and I can't even repay him. He hadn't even cracked a taunt or snide remark at me, hasn't tripped me or anything. The man was practically my friend and I was beginning to wonder if I felt more. I melted and my judgment collapsed every time he smiled and said 'please', he was everything I could ever want in a guy. And I've said that before, when I began going out with _him. _

Tears started to prick my eyes as I remembered everything that had went down between us. "I-I'm sorry, John."

"Do you wanna go…"

"No, I-it's fine. I'm gonna use the bathroom then wait in the car. I-I'll have to drive both of you back tonight anyways." I reasoned and he nodded as Michelle grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards her.

"Help me" He mouthed and I smiled.

"Sorry." I mouthed back and I turned around as the tears started to swell up in my eyes. "E-excuse me." I mumbled as I squeezed past people on my way to the bathroom. As I got to the hall where the bathroom was located, I noticed Adam standing there and prayed he wouldn't notice me. Just then, his green eyes flashed to mine and worry set over his features.

"Shay…"

"I-I'll be fine, Adam." I stated as firmly as possible as I walked past him and into the bathroom. I was just in time as the tears started to fall. Walking over to the sink, I ran the cold water and splashed some onto my face. Right now, I felt like the most mood swingy person on the planet, crying over past memories that I had gotten over. And I thought he did too, but no, no he's planning on making my life miserable and he probably knew that I had accidentally told John I had been hit before.

Wiping my face off with a paper towel, I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. Looking back into the mirror I scoffed at myself. My eyes were red and puffy and I could barely control the sobs. Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths until the sobs subsided. Again, I wiped my eyes, fixed my hair and waited until my eyes weren't red anymore for me to leave the bathroom.

I had gotten halfway down the hall when a man came up to me, advancing on me until my back was pressed against the wall. Without looking at him, I knew who it was. His smell had been imprinted in my head and I would never forget the sound of his voice, no matter how much I wanted to. My breath caught in my throat and I was about to utter something when he snickered and silenced me. "No, Shay. I need to tell you something." A sly smile spread over his features as he ran a hand over his slicked back hair.

He smirked as he spoke again. "You told him."

"I-I…"

"You told him Shay. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" One of his hands gripped my wrist and pinned it to the wall behind me. The other held my other wrist to my hip. "Word travels fast in the WWE, babe."

"I didn't tell him…" I murmured.

"Sure you didn't, but you've told him everything else right?" He smirked. "I know you told him, and if you don't tell me the truth, I'll go over in front of that crowd and make him tell me."

"D-don't hurt him…" I replied.

"I've already accomplished that, lass." Another voice came. "I took his title, the one thing he valued most."

"Why, thank you for joining us, Drew."

"No problem, Dolph."

I whimpered as Dolph applied more pressure to my wrist. Drew had walked up behind him, smirking as well. "It's too bad I was just about to leave." Dolph smiled and waved before whispering in my ear. "Don't tell him any more. Just cut it off before somebody gets hurt." He smirked again as he walked back off into the bar, Drew following him.

Sighing, I rested my palm against my forehead, just thankful for the circulation being let back into my wrists. I took another deep breath as I heard footsteps in the hall, approaching me. I prayed it would be either Adam or John, but then I remembered that they probably think I'm in the car.

"Aw, what are you doing here, Shay. I never expected to see you here." It was my second…no…third worst nightmare. Drew McIntyre, he had circled back around to approach me again.. He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear and smiled. "You aren't wearing anything revealing tonight, Just when I thought you were coming out of your shell." He tsked and smirked as he put his hands on my hips. I wanted to push him away, I probably could, but something held me back. I didn't know if it was the fact that I didn't want to make a scene and get myself into more trouble, or the fact that he'd say that I attacked him first.

He got close to me, the Intercontinental Champion was standing a few inches taller than me and was practically pressed against me. "Come with me, please? Or are you seeing John?"

"J-John's not my boyfriend."

"Well then, maybe Adam is. Both of them seem to be pretty close to you."

I shook my head and he chuckled. "So you're single, perfect. I haven't been on a date in a while."

Something inside me knew he was trying to trick me and I scoffed. "J-just please let me go so I can go back to the hotel?"

"I can't do that sweetheart. You know, John's selfish, keeping this all to himself. Maybe he's making you shy, so we won't see what he does."

"J-John sees no more than you do, trust me…" I trailed off.

"Then I see no reason why you shouldn't go on a date with me. I'm interested, I'm single, you're single, it's all good."

"J-just back off, please." I muttered, but he ignored me.

"Shay." Drew smiled. "You have no idea what you're missing." He chuckled as he shook his head. He was leaning down to kiss me when I heard one voice I had been praying to hear.

"I believe she said 'back off'." I turned my head as much as I could to see John standing there, arms crossed over his chest as he approached us. "Which means get your hands off of her."

"You're not dating her, I don't see why you care. After all, this whole thing with you and her's probably a charity event." Drew scoffed and John grabbed him by his shirt collar, picked him up and pushed him against the wall..

"Listen up, McIntyre." John growled and I was surprised at the anger and intensity. "I'm not exactly happy with you right now, hell, I don't even like you, so you really don't wanna mess with me." He dropped Drew and quickly, the taller man scurried off. John turned to face me, his face softening as he approached me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I-I'm fine." I flashed him a small smile, trying to reassure him.

"Now Drew's bugging you…I'll take care of it."

"John, don't. I-I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me." I added. He was close now, close enough where if I were to put my hands up, they'd meet his chest.

"Okay."

"T-thank you, for helping me. You didn't have to d-do that." I looked away, but he held my chin in his hand and gently made me look at him.

"No problem." He noticed the closeness between us and stepped back, a small blush almost creeping across his cheeks. He ran his hand through his hair and changed the subject. "So, next week you're going to Canada?"

"Y-yeah, and I was wondering if you'd like to come along,"

"I'll be a day or so late, but I'll be there." He smiled and at me and I couldn't help but smile

"T-thanks, so I'm just going to go, um…back to the h-hotel."

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Adam began.

"N-no, I'll be fine." I assured them both, hugging Adam and John before I left. I felt terrible lying to them, knowing I wasn't going to be 'fine'. I never was going to be fine.


	9. Sun and Moon

**Okay, I know this update is really soon, but I want to get as much done before Christmas as possible,lol. Anyways, I only own Shay and my other OCs. Thank you to Angel for beta-reading this and I hope you all liket his chappy:) Thank you to my reviewer, you all mean a lot ot me:) So please, read, review and enjoy:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I smiled as I approached the gate to the plane, one step closer to home, where nobody would trip me. Yet, one step closer to mounds of ice just setting me up to go skidding down the sidewalk…Shaking my head, I turned back to John, who had driven me here. "Thanks for the ride, J-John."

"No problem, Shay. So, I'll probably be there in a day or two. Just please be careful and don't fall."

"I won't." I brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, I'll see you later." He smiled as he watched me get on the plane.

On the plane, I was thankful to have gotten a row all to myself. I looked out the window and could faintly see John waving to me. Smiling, I waved back and the plane took off. Sitting back in my seat, I kept gazing out the window as snow drifted down lightly, and the sun that lit up the sky. John was a lot like the sun. He always lit up the place, wherever he was at, and wherever he wasn't, it was dark. He was radiant, valiant, and warm. People adored him, flocked to him and flourished under his glow. He could be forceful, refreshing, and calming. His smile was addicting and there was an effortless, alluring aura to him. It made people love him, and want to be around him.

Somehow, he could always make you smile, or laugh. He could melt away the pain, the coldness of a past that wished to be forgotten. All he had to do was smile, and reassure you that everything was going to be alright. Then, just like that, you felt the same optimism and hope. There wasn't a problem, or a doubt that he couldn't remedy. He brought excitement and livelihood wherever he went and I was so lucky to be able to be beside him almost every day. Had it not been for his sudden, mysterious interest in me, or the storyline, he wouldn't even be talking to me, much less smiling or waving to me.

He may not have talked to me much before now, but he wasn't cruel or anything. He ignored me, and I ignored him. Then, the moment he talked to me, I was trapped inside his glow, trapped and held in his warm and fiery embrace, one that made me feel like there was hope for me, and that everything was going to be okay. I smiled just thinking about him. Somehow, he had even been able to befriend me. Like I said before, he was undeniable. It could be the most outrageous, dramatic stunt and all he had to do was smile and you agreed. He's addicting, everything about him is radiating warmth. John Hennigan was a safe haven, a warm retreat and a sunny vacation from reality.

That man was just…irresistible. Most women wanted to be with him, and many would probably kill to be as close to him as I am. I can see the glares my fellow Divas are sending me every time I walk down the hall with John by my side. I can also see that his social life is slowly dieing because of how much he hangs around me. It sucks knowing I was bringing him down, and I'd like to give him back all the friends he had before hanging out with me. I ended up smiling at the thought of John coming up to Canada in a couple days, and fell asleep in my seat.

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_*John POV*_

It was night by the time I got on my plane to go to the next city. I had gotten a row to myself, even though the other Superstars were scattered around. The moon shone brightly, beaming a soft, pale glow and a light snow drifted around. Looking out the window, I sighed and smiled.

Shay was a lot like the moon. She was soft, mysterious and secretive. Not many people admit to liking the moon, with it's shy and light glow, rather than the sun's beaming glare, just like not many people would admit to liking Shay. She was a mystery, not many people knew much about her other than the obvious things and she preferred it that way.

The moon offers guidance in the night, when you'd rather run and hide. It comforts you without being too overbearing. Shay was like that, not the star of the show, more like the person backstage who does everything to make the show great. She isn't obvious, she just slides by, not even knowing the impact she makes on people. A pessimist that tries to be optimistic.

Shay was a sight for sore eyes, pure, sweet and soundless as she emitted a cheerful aura. There was no denying it, you could hate winter and its coldness, but there was no denying the beauty of snow. It was undeniable how Shay could just sweetly smile at you and instantly, you're under her mysterious and compelling spell. A spell that was impossible to break, she could hold you there forever and you'd never want to leave.

Shay was compelling, even if she denied it. It was remarkable how she could perform such a simple act, and entrance so many people. It was one of her qualities he loved, and it was one of the things that intrigued him. There wasn't any way somebody could be so sweet, caring, and innocent to be hiding a secret from her coworkers.

Shay was beautiful, compelling , shy and quiet, like the moon. There was always something more to her than a pretty outer shell. There was always something more to learn, even when you think you've figured it out. She was a puzzle, complex and intricate; a mystery that you wanted to solve, yet want to keep around because it was what made her, her. Some people despised her, yet they didn't even know her. They'd rather live by the overpowering gleam of the sun rather than the gentle and sweet beacon of the moon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike sit down next to me. "Hey." I murmured.

"Hey." He replied. "You're thinking about her, I can tell."

"How?"

"Dude, you look like a school girl every time her name gets brought up. You were smiling like an idiot."

I just grinned and shook my head before gazing back out the window, staring off into the moon.

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*Shay POV*

I sighed with content as I looked around the Calgary airport, instantly finding my family. It wasn't that hard, considering Jim Neidhart had run up to me, picking me up and twirling me around.

"C'mon, give the girl a break, Jim. She just got off her flight." My dad smiled as he hugged me. I hugged him back tightly and smiled.

"It's good to be home, Dad."

"It's good to have you back, sweetheart. So, how's Smackdown?"

"G-good. I see Nat, TJ, and Dave a lot, um…Chris is there, Adam w-will be returning soon. It's great." I glanced around, giving TJ, Nat, and Dave a 'please be quiet' look. They new I was lying, they were the only ones out of my family who knew I had a hard time on Smackdown.

"Well, that's good. We better get you home, it's late and I'm sure you're tired." My dad smiled, throwing an arm over my shoulders as we left the airport.

As soon as we got home, I went up to the guest bedroom. I had slept too much on the plan and now wasn't tired at all. Sitting at the desk overlooking the backyard, I stared out the window at the stars, and the moon that peeked over the tops of the snow laden trees.


	10. Christmas Miracles

**Here is another chappy of UA. I only own Shay and my OCs. Thank you to Angel for Beta-Reading this:) Thank you to all my reviewers. I'd like to wish you all a Happy Holiday:) Please read, review, and enjoy. And i hope you all enjoy this special time of year.**_

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_*John POV*_

I walked through the halls, Mike flanking me, while trying to talk. "Um, John. I have something to say."

"Can't it wait, I have a plane to catch. I'm going to Canada, remember?"

"I remember," He rolled his eyes. "There's just a problem with that."

"And what's the problem?" I asked. He gulped and ran his hand through his short hair. "Canada's snowed in. They got this huge snowstorm earlier today. Nobody's flying in or out."

I froze. "I promised her I'd be there."

"Well then you better call her and say you can't." Mike sighed, just as my phone rang. Taking it out, I flipped it open and put it to my ear.

"Hey, Shay." I smiled and Mike smirked. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. How are you?" As she answered me, I tried to ignore the kissy face Mike was making. Rolling my eyes I cleared my throat. "That's good."

"Tell her I say 'hi.'"

"No." I growled, holding the phone to my chest as I pushed him away. As I was about to lift the phone up again , he smirked.

"HI SHAY!" He yelled and I winced, just envisioning Shay startled as she looked at the phone in confusion.

"Mike says hi," I sighed before replying back to Mike. "Shay says Merry Christmas." I put the phone back to my ear and continued talking with her. "Yeah, actually, I'm on my way to the airport now. See you tomorrow, Shay." With that, I clicked off the phone and put it back in my pocket.

Mike stared at me. "Did you just say you were going to be there tomorrow? Dude, what part of no planes are flying did you not understand?"

"Who said I was flying." I replied as I left the arena. Mike was still following me.

"You're _driving_ to Canada?"

"I made her a promise, Mike." I stated as I loaded my suitcase into the backseat, keeping Shay's gift with me in the front.

"What are you, in love with her or something?"

"She deserves a Christmas, Mike."

"She's with her family, doesn't that count?"

"Sometimes, Mike, it's nice to hear a compliment from somebody other than your family." I sighed, tapping my hands on the steering wheel. Mike was leaning in the driver's window, talking to me.

"Sometimes, you're so nice it's scary." he rolled his eyes. "Tell her Merry Christmas from me." He stated and stepped away from the car, letting my drive off.

_*Shay POV*_

I smiled as I got off the phone with John. He had promised he'd be here tomorrow and so far, he had been keeping his promises. Walking downstairs, I was stopped by my dad.

"Good morning, Shay."

"G-good morning, Dad." I nodded. "Um…a friend is flying in later. H-he should be here tomorrow."

"Honey, no planes are flying in. It's a tundra out there, nobody will fly in the snowstorms." He shrugged, not wanting to 'break the news'. "And did you say this friend was a _he_?"

"He said he was on his way to the airport." I shifted and my dad sighed.

"That's impossible, sorry sweetie."

"I-I'm going to go back to my house. I'll be back tomorrow." I replied as I grabbed my coat and headed out the door, driving down the street to my home. I felt like crap, I wanted John to be here. He _promised_ he'd be here and now he wouldn't be able to. That's not what bothered me the most though. John had said that he was on his way to the airport, on his way over here. But that was impossible, due to Canada being 'snowed in'.

Why did I even bother trusting a guy again? I didn't have many friends and getting involved with John-freaking-Hennigan wasn't going to help, especially if this ended badly. Knowing my past, it was probably going to end like that, badly. He was probably sitting back with his friends, laughing at how he had successfully pulled one on me. Maybe I should move to Antarctica or something.

The only true, honest friends I have are Mel, Eve, Adam, Izzy, Cori, Lex, and the Core Group. That's actually not that many considering I rarely see any of them due to roster changes, or the fact that half of them live in North Carolina, a country away. I really couldn't consider The Hart Dynasty my friends, they're only my 'friends' now because they were forced to hang out with me as a kid and it grew on them. Had our parents not been so adamant about us hanging out, we wouldn't even be talking right now.

Adam actually approached me, with Lex, of course. He was training at the Hart Dungeon, saw me, and got the brilliant idea to say 'hi'. He then introduced me to Matt, who got me introduced to the rest of their 'group'. In reality, I owed a lot to him, otherwise, I'd still be as secluded from people as I used to be.

As I got to my house and entered the cabin-styled home, I sighed and set my suitcase down. The house was spotless, seeing as I hadn't been in it for months. Shrugging off my coat, I sat on the couch and sighed. So, he wasn't going to be able to make it, ten minutes after he said he would. Shaking my head, I chuckled, knowing I should've seen this coming. Yet, a voice in the back of my head muttered, '_So you're just going to give up on him? After all, it is just one time.'_

My head was telling me to give up, my heart was trying to tell me otherwise. Shaking my head again, I leaned back and fell asleep.

_The Next Day…_

I woke up smiling and excited until I remembered John wouldn't be coming. It was Christmas Day and John was supposed to be here, yet he wouldn't because of stupid snowstorms. Glancing at the clock, I sighed, seeing as it was five in the morning. Getting up, I shuffled downstairs, flicking on a couple lights as I went. The cabin I lived in was large, very large, yet I was single.

Finding myself in the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of orange juice, never having been a fan of coffee. Taking my glass into the living room, I sat on the couch, staring out of the window and onto the new mounds of snow. It was still kinda dark outside, the sun wouldn't be up for about a half hour or so. Gazing around the room, I sighed.

I was still upset that my newest friend wouldn't be here, even though it probably wasn't that big of a deal. After all, it was John, he was popular, was he actually going to show up? And it was the weather setting him back, so I couldn't really blame him.

Hours passed and I had completely given up on John showing up. By now, I had gotten dressed and it was about noon. Going back downstairs, my eyes fell on the grand piano sitting in the corner of my living room. Deciding I should play something, anything to get my emotions out, I sat down and shuffled through the bookcase a little to the left. Grabbing a thick book of songs, I opened to a random page and smiled at the song.

Setting my fingers to the keys, I began to play.

"Where are you Christmas, why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?" I smiled and continued on…

_*John POV*_

I almost growled with frustration as my car tried to make it onto the hill where her driveway began. No matter how hard I pushed it, it wouldn't go. Slamming my fist against the dashboard I grabbed Shay's present, got out, and tried to walk up the driveway. The ground was slippery and the snow was deep, coming to about mid-shin. My shoes were probably ruined, but I didn't care. I promised Shay I'd be here and I was going to be here.

As I got up the hill, I was panting, and glad for the cleared walkways. Coming up the first house I saw, I rang the doorbell, shocked when Bret Hart answered. "Is Shay…."

"Down the street." he replied. "You're that John fellow, right?" When I nodded, he continued. "Be quiet when you go in, give her a good surprise. She'll be glad to see you." He informed.

"Thank you sir." I smiled and jogged down the street, turning to what I assumed was Shay's house. The size was huge and as silently as I could, I approached the door. I was about to knock, when I heard the soft music of a piano playing. I had now idea she played piano….gently and silently twisting the knob, I tip-toed inside.

Instantly, I found her in the living room, sitting in front of a piano, gently gliding her fingers over the keys. She was singing 'Where Are You Christmas?' and was around the middle.

"Where are you Christmas? Do you remember? The one you used to know. I'm not the same one, see what the time has done. Is that why you have let me go?" She sang softly, her voice as mesmerizing as she was. I became entrapped, lost in a world where I could only see and hear her. The entire world was put on slow motion and I ended up smiling. Her voice was...indescribable.

By the time I came back to the real world, she had finished and was putting her stuff away. Now, I knew it was the best time for me to make myself known. "I didn't know you played piano, or sang for that matter."

She jumped, and the papers went flying. Okay, not the reaction I wanted. Kneeling next to her, I helped her reorganize the papers and set the book back on the shelf. Shay was blushing, and staring. Shaking her head, she quietly apologized. Then, she realized that it was me. "J-John?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought you weren't going to be a-able to make it?" Her eyebrow rose.

"Just because Canada's snowed in, doesn't mean John Hennigan is snowed _out._ I drove here, because I wanted to keep my promise." I smiled at her and gave her the gift I had been holding. "I made you a promise and I sought out that I keep it."

"I-I thought the worst of you. I'm sorry…" She trailed off, looking down.

"It's okay, I should've called." I smiled, shocked as Shay wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "Shay?"

"M-Merry Christmas, John." Her arms were around my neck and cautiously, I wrapped mine around her waist.

"Merry Christmas, Shay."


	11. Cafe

**Here's a new chappy of UA! So you know there WILL be more drama in the upcoming chapters, yep, lots of drama! I only own Shay and my OCs. THank you Angel for beta-reading this and thank you to my readers for reviewing:) Please read, review, and enjoy!:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I walked through the hallways of the arena, sighing at the blandness of the halls. There were posters of random Superstars, mostly Cena, Triple H, and Undertaker. Running a hand through my hair, I almost tripped, but caught myself. As I turned the corner, I almost ran into Chris Jericho.

He scoffed. "Watch where you're going, junior."

"S-sorry, Chris." I mumbled.

"Shay? Sorry for yelling." He frowned, guilt setting in. "Um, I really didn't mean to snap at you. So, how was your Christmas?"

"Um…good. T-thanks for asking."

"So, are you dating John?"

I was slightly taken aback. "No…why?"

Chris shrugged. "He's just not good for you."

"And h-how would you know that? You've been on Raw the past few months. E-ever since Adam got injured, you've p-practically aborted Smackdown."

"I've actually been around him a lot longer. He's racking in the women all the time. Maybe not in front of you, but it's true. I don't want you to get hurt, Shay."

"Really? You don't want me t-to get hurt? Here's a newsflash, C-Chris, I can take care of myself. I'm not fragile like everyone seems to think. I-if they would actually take the time and get over their selfish pride enough to get to know me, they could see that. I've known you for years, Chris. And I-I'm sorry if I came off a little harsh, but you just…don't know me. You used to, back when you trained in the Dungeon, b-but you started ignoring me because I wouldn't help you get farther in your career." I replied quietly.

"You're…right. Would you like to catch lunch sometime? You know…so we can catch up?"

I looked at him hesitantly, wondering if this was some kind of joke. Slowly, I nodded and smiled. "Sure, Chris. Um, when do you wanna grab lunch?"

"Well, right now's good, if that's fine with you." He smiled and I nodded again as he led me down the hall.

_*John POV*_

"You love her, or at least you're getting really, _really_ close." CM Punk stated. My eyebrow rose as I turned my head to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Shay, you love her, don't you?"

"I-I…don't know."

"Dude, you drove to _Canada_ just to keep a promise." He smirked. We were in a café, one that wasn't too busy, otherwise, we'd be swarmed with people. No, it was practically empty, only a few tables were occupied. It was Punk, Rey, Matt and myself sitting in a booth. Punk and Rey were opposite of me and I had the wall seat.

"We're just friends." I replied.

"That doesn't mean you don't love her." Punk pointed out.

"Give the guy a break, Phil. He's getting to know someone new, someone a little…"

"Weird?" Punk interrupted.

"She's not weird, just shy." Matt shrugged.

"Well, you know a lot about her." I said as Rey got up.

"I gotta go, I'll see ya later." He nodded as he left, just as Shay walked in with Chris Jericho. There wasn't any way this was a date, he was nine years her senior and was married. They were probably just catching up, right? Shaking my head, I sighed as they sat down at a booth across the café.

The duo were talking, both of them, even Shay. She was nodding as well as putting in comments and from the look of it, she was talking a lot. Then, after a few moments, she laughed. It wasn't a giggle, or a chuckle, it was an actual laugh. Her eyes were sparkling and her face lit up as she covered her mouth with her hand to suppress the sound.

"Dude." Punk cleared his throat and my attention snapped to him. "What are you staring at?" Then, he followed my gaze and smirked. "Oh."

Matt followed my gaze to and looked back at me. "Relax, they're just friends. They're probably just catching up, it's been awhile since they had time to talk." He shrugged.

"Mhhmm, is that why she's laughing?" I shook my head.

"You love her." Punk still had that smirk plastered to his face and the way his eyes gleamed made me want to smack it right off.

"I-I do not." I stated, shocked.

"Sure you don't." The Chicago native rolled his eyes. "Look, here comes the rest of the bunch." He gestured his head toward the door and I looked just in time to see Adam and Jay walk in to join Shay and Chris. Jay pushed Chris in farther so he could sit down and Adam sat next to Shay, throwing an arm over the back of her seat.

"Great." I muttered sarcastically. "Why can't she be that comfortable around me? Matt, give me some pointers. Anything to get to know her better."

"Because you're not Canadian." Punk chimed, ignoring my second comment, and Matt reached across the table to smack him upside the head. "Or North Carolinian, for that matter." He rolled his eyes as he held his head where Matt smacked him.

Matt rolled his own eyes. "It's not that, you don't have to be Canadian or North Carolinian."

"Pardon me, don't forget British."

Matt smacked him again. "John, relax, okay? She likes you, more than she likes half the people on the show. She's just learned that she shouldn't put it all out in one week or a month. See that?" He gestured to where Shay was laughing and chatting with her friends. "That takes years to accomplish. It took us years to figure her out and have her completely open up to us. They were around her for many, many years, longer than any of us and they've achieved her trust and loyalty. Besides, I can't help you. It's something you have to do on your own. If you want to know something, be adamant, but don't pressure her. Sometimes she'll cooperate, sometimes she won't. Like I said, it's a process that could take years."

"Years?" I sighed again and rested my head in my palm. "Years…" I repeated. "I don't have that long." Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adam, Jay, and Chris stand up, hug Shay and bid her farewell. They waved as they walked out the door and she nodded while waving back.

She glanced around after they left and spotted us. Grabbing her coat, she slowly approached. "Um, h-hi Matt, John, P-Phil. How are you today?"

"Great." Punk smiled as he scooted in farther. "Have a seat." Glaring at him, I quickly smiled as Shay nodded and sat down. "So what was with your little entourage over there?"

"Oh, it was just us c-catching up. It's been a while since we all could sit down and talk. With Chris on Raw a lot, Adam injured and Jay on ECW, we hardly ever s-see each other. Also, C-Chris and I are friends again." She smiled sweetly.

"That's great." Matt commented with a smile. "How are you today?"

"F-fine." She nodded as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Shay wore light denim jeans with a white long sleeved shirt and black, fuzzy boots. Her hair was styled the way I told her it looked good and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at her. She was beautiful, even if she didn't flaunt every ounce of skin she had. It was…refreshing compared to some of the Divas. Her silent, gentle approach and quiet voice was great compared to some of the whiny, obnoxious people I worked with.

"You're coming to the New Year's party, right Shay?" Punk asked and both Matt and I glared at him before Shay looked up.

"I-I wasn't aware that I was invited. I'm not the best at parties…"

"So? You'll miss out on a lot of fun."

"N-no, I'll miss out on watching a lot of fun. I never get involved, there's always too many people t-there anyways. Like Michelle, Layla, Maria…"

"Girl, don't worry about them." Matt smiled reassuringly at her. "Besides, you don't have to go. It'll be fine."

"I-I'll think about it." She smiled sweetly again as her gaze fell on me. "John, are you alright? You haven't said anything…"

"I'm fine." I smiled. "I just…spaced out."

"Well, it's been a blast, but I gotta go." Punk stated and Shay got up to let him out. Matt stood as well.

"Yeah, I gotta run to. Bye John, Shay." He nodded and gave Shay a hug before the duo left. Shay sat back down across from me and chuckled.

"Why do I have a feeling they p-purposely abandoned us?"

"I don't know." I murmured as I studied her. A questioned burned in my mind and I remembered what Matt said. _Be adamant, but don't pressure her into talking about something she isn't comfortable with. _Sighing, I went for it. "Shay?"

"Yes?"

"When you said that you were hit by a guy before, what did you mean?"

She frowned and shook her head. "It was j-just a bad boyfriend. Don't worry about it, I-I'm fine now."

"Who was it?" I asked and she looked down.

"Nobody important." She stated and I knew it was a very touchy subject. "Um, I-I have to go." Shay stood up to leave, grabbing her coat and purse. Standing up, I followed her outside.

"Can you tell me who?"

"No." She replied.

"You don't have to tell me his full name, can you tell me his first?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Shay, I just want to know more about you, how can I do that if I can't dig deeper?"

She spun around to look at me. Tears and welled up in her eyes and were slowly making their way down her cheeks. "John, I'm just not ready to talk a-about it, okay?"

I opened my mouth to protest, almost ready to say something about the family and how I was practically the only one she wouldn't share these secrets with. Stopping myself, I remembered that I didn't want to push her away. I didn't want to upset her, or hurt her; the roster did enough of that themselves. Closing my mouth, I nodded and pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her waist while hers cautiously moved up to my shoulders. "Okay. I'm sorry, Shay. You can tell me whenever you're ready."

"T-Thank you." She murmured, drying her tears.

_Omniscient POV_

Neither of them noticed the platinum blond watching them from the park bench on the street, frowning as the couple made up after the 'fight' they just had. They didn't notice his glaring eyes as they peered through thick sunglasses over a newspaper he bought as a cover. And neither could notice the malicious thoughts churning inside his mind.


	12. New Years

**Okay, here's a new chappy for Unlikely Attractions!Yay! This chapter is very long, I suppose. It's longer than most:) Anyways, I only own Shay and my other OCs, I'd like to thank my brilliant beta-reader/e-sis Angel for beta-reading this:) Um, this chapter introduces some drama and a lot of other stuff,lol. Anyways, thank you to all who have reviewed so far and please read, review and enjoy this chappy:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I sat in catering, glancing around, awaiting his arrival. It was night, maybe ten or so, long after the main Superstars left. John was at the hotel, I would've been there with him had I not been forced to meet with the man who just sat down across from me. "Y-you wanted to talk?"

"You told him, Shay. I know you did." Dolph replied.

"Q-quite the contrary, I didn't tell him anything."

"You told him that an old boyfriend hit you." He stated.

"I didn't tell him which one?" I whispered as I took a drink of my water.

"He'll figure it out." Dolph smirked. "And once he realizes your past, he'll leave. I can guarantee it."

"No, he wouldn't." I shook my head.

"Shay, the world will never be what you want it to. He'll never see anything more in you than just a hopeless woman trying to act like she belongs. Let's face it, I'm the only one who loves you like you want to be loved."

"I-If you had loved me, you wouldn't have…"

"Hush, I thought we promised we wouldn't talk about that? Besides, I really don't think he feels anything for you."

"H-he drove to Canada for me, Nick." I ran a hand through my hair.

"He just wants to get you into bed. You know I still love you, right?"

I gaped at him. Was he really going to try this? Millions of voices in my head screamed he was lying, trying to drag me into his clutches again. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he was lying. He just didn't want me around John and would do anything to get me away from him. He was afraid of John. "W-what?"

"I think we should date…again."

"I-I can't…"

"Yes you can." He smirked. "Or will your little boyfriend get upset?"

"H-he's not my boyfriend." I protested and he smiled.

"Then why is dating me a problem?" He questioned. He looked so smug and all I really want to do was smack him, he had caused me enough problems already. "How about this. You start dating me, forget all about Hennigan and then I won't have to hurt him, or any of your friends."

I wanted to add that he wouldn't stand a chance against my friends, but decided not to. "No."

His smile turned into a frown. "What?"

"I said no." I clarified, trying to sound more confident than I actually was. Standing up, I smoothed out my shirt. "If you don't mind, I have to go." I nodded courteously and briskly walked down the hall. Dolph followed, a frown and glare set on his face. I narrowly escaped tripping twice as I moved through the halls until I was lost. The walls were bare of promotional posters and schedules, signifying that this particular part of the arena wasn't being used for the WWE. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and looked around.

Dolph had followed me, even to here. He smirked as he approached, backing me up. "Of all places in the arena, you chose the most secluded part for your hiding spot. I found you, Shay. I loved you and you left me."

"I-I had a good reason." I stammered.

"And you said no to my request. I'll ask you one last time, Shay. One last time to change your mind."

"No." I was surprised at the amount of courage and rebelliousness that coursed through me. Dolph sneered as he gripped my shoulders and pressed me against the wall.

"No? You sure?"

"Positive." I stated, also surprised by the lack of stutter and the firmness in my voice. Seconds later, his fist had connected with my face and I flinched. Then, he followed it up with two, sharp knees to the stomach. Flinching again, I slid to the floor, arms wrapped around myself. Standing back, he smirked.

"Nobody says no to me." He cracked his knuckles. "Have a nice day, Shay." With that, he chuckled and walked away.

Slowly standing, my fingers went up to gingerly touch the stinging flesh around my eye. There wasn't any doubt it would be a huge black eye in the morning. Sighing, I slowly and surely made my way down the hall, stumbling every now and then. Tripping over air, I was sent back down to the floor. The lack of employees made me feel the slightest bit better, no one was there to laugh as they watched me fall.

It was almost eleven by the time I entered the hotel room John and I shared. He had given me one of the key cards, just in case I had to get in when he wasn't there or vice versa. The room was dark except the soft glow of the bathroom light, probably left on so I wouldn't get myself killed trying to get to my bed. Slowly making my way over to the bed, I didn't even bother changing and just slid onto the covers.

The bed, with it's soft, plush mattress and silky sheets. It must've been the most comforting part of my day. Wincing as I moved wrong, I laid my head on the pillow and fell into a restless slumber.

_*John POV*_

I woke up to see Shay laying on the other bed, still dressed in the jeans and shirt she wore yesterday. The clock read eleven o'clock and I sighed, remembering the breakfast gathering Adam had set up. He, Shay, Jay, Chris, and I were supposed to attend. The entire get-together was set for ten and Shay was still asleep. What time had she gotten in last night? It must've been late, usually she was the one waking me up. Getting up, I showered and got dressed before coming back out to check on Shay. She was still asleep.

Shuffling over to her, I placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed. I _really_ didn't want to wake her. She looked so angelic and it was heart-wrenching seeing her go through so much crap her own coworkers brought. It made going anywhere near work hell for her, and she took it day after day after day. She never snapped, never broke down in anger and put someone in their place. Shay had a different aura around her than most of the women I worked with, she had different morals and aspects of the world.

She was comfortable with not being like anyone else, yet slightly intimidated by everybody torturing her day in and day out. The woman had this adorable and alluring aura, yet it was sexy. Shay definitely had sex appeal, otherwise she never would've landed this job, whether she was Bret's daughter, or the best in the world or not. She could be cute when she wanted to, or she could be mysterious and alluring. Sometimes, she was both. None of the other Divas had that, none. It made her unique, and that much more appealing.

Shay didn't wear revealing clothing, never flaunted herself or bragged. It was refreshing to see a woman like that. Most of all, it was sort of unusual in the WWE, which probably was one of the reasons she was the outcast of the roster.

Knowing I had to wake her, I gently shook her shoulder and her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, Shay."

"W-what time is it?"

"Nine fifteen." I smiled and she sighed.

"J-just go, I'll catch up."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, I-I'll be fine, John." She gave me a reassuring smile. I nodded, still not quite sure why she was sending me off without her, but went anyway.

_*Shay POV*_

As soon as John left the room, I sprang up and went into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. I was right, I had a huge shiner and no amount of makeup would cover it. Sighing, I turned on the shower and to a long, hot shower, hoping to release the tension in my body.

Unfortunately, when I got out, I still felt like crap. Drying off, I got dressed in jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Pinning back my hair the way John said it looked good, I took a look at my face again. The huge blackish, purplish blue mark was unmistakable and quite noticeable. There wasn't any way nobody would notice at breakfast. My ribs still hurt and it kind of hurt to breathe.

Tears pricked my eyes as I remembered the past. How I had been this way before, broken down and bruised. Wincing as my fingers ghosted over my black eye, I calmed myself the best I could, slid on a pair of sunglasses, grabbed my coat and purse and headed out. Walking down the hall and through the hotel until I came out the lobby doors, I kept thinking of a plausible reason for the sunglasses. It was cloudy outside, I usually never wore sunglasses unless the sun was out and shining.

They would definitely notice, Adam, Jay and Chris would be there. Three men who probably knew me better than anybody. They knew all the lies I could spin, they knew when I was lying and weren't afraid to call me out on it. I could lie, but it wouldn't make a difference. All of them knew me too well, even John knew me enough to know when something wasn't okay.

Coming up to the café where our breakfast meeting was set up for, I hesitated as I grasped the door handle. I could bail out, say I had some important errand. I could give some logical reason for my absence and hope that they buy it. No, I couldn't. I'd be lying to the ones I cared about most and even if the lie made it easier for me, it would only worry them and all of them had way too much to worry about now.

Entering the café, I glanced around until I saw them sitting at a table, already drinking coffee and talking. This was it, my final chance to leave. Biting my lip, I summoned up enough courage to walk up to the table. John glanced up at me and grinned. "Hey Shay, glad to see ya. Have a seat." He gestured to the empty seat next to him and I nodded as I sat down. "What's up, Sunshine." He smiled. "Sorry." He added with a small smile as he caught the nickname.

I blushed and smiled at the nickname. "No, it's fine. I like Sunshine. U-um, nothing really. I got here as fast as I could."

"What's with the shades?" Chris asked. "It's cloudy outside, even _we_ aren't wearing shades." He chuckled as I blushed. I didn't even make it five minutes and he noticed.

"I-I just wanted to wear them." I shrugged, knowing they weren't going to buy it, but it was worth a shot.

"Mmhhmm." Adam agreed sarcastically. "Take them off." He demanded. All of a sudden, the table's attention was on me. Jay looked like he was in pain, and Chris was twiddling his thumbs, John had turned in his seat to gaze curiously at me while Adam's stare was a mix of trying to be reassuring and determined to find the truth. Adam, Jay, and Chris knew what was going on, I could tell and they were just trying to hope that it wasn't what they feared. Sadly, it was. Adam's eyes softened, "Please."

"A-Adam." I stammered. "I can't…"

"Shay, we love you, okay? You mean a lot to all of us, alright?" Jay spoke. "And I hope to hell that whatever you're hiding isn't what we think. And whatever you're hiding, we aren't afraid of it, don't try to save us ahead of time. We'd do anything for you, we care about you. Please, just take off the sunglasses. Being stubborn isn't like you."

I nodded and took off the sunglasses, resting them on the table top before lifting my head to look at my friends. Adam's jade green eyes hardened into a glare and his fists clenched. Jay and Chris looked like they had been punched in the stomach and they shook their heads.

"What the hell happened to you?" John asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I…fell." I fibbed and Adam shook his head. "I-I'm a klutz."

"No, you didn't. Don't do this again, please." Jay pleaded.

"What's going on?" John asked, lost. He didn't know what they were talking about and I hoped he'd never find out. But when did my hopes ever come true?

"He doesn't know, does he?" Chris asked. I shook my head. "We should go somewhere else, somewhere quieter and less crowded." He paid for the coffees and we all left the café, heading over to the park across the street. I sat down on the bench with John and Adam on either side of me. Jay and Chris squatted down in front of me. "Okay, tell us what happened."

"He said he'd hurt you guys if I told."

"There's one of him and five of us, we'll be fine."

"I-I'm not even supposed to be talking to John…" I muttered and John took my hand.

"I'll be fine, Sunshine. Just tell us what happened." He smiled reassuringly. Adam nodded too and put a hand on my shoulder. I winced as his hand came into contact with where Dolph and gripped my shoulders.

"It's not just the eye." Adam cursed and shook his head in disgust.

"W-well, it happened yesterday. After the show when the arena was closing down. He wanted to see me so, I sat down in catering with him. We t-talked back and forth and he accused me of telling John what happened in the past. I denied it, I never told John and he didn't believe me. So, h-he asked me to date him again and when I repeatedly refused he got angry. When I got up to leave, he began following me so I w-went through the halls until I was in a secluded place. He still found me, a-asked me again and I said no. He pushed me against the wall, kneed my in the s-stomach a few times and punched my face." I recalled the events and almost broke down into tears. "I-I got back to the hotel and went to bed, and woke up when John woke me." I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "That New Years party is tonight right?"

"You are not going to that party." Jay stated. "If he's going to be there, no."

"I'll be fine, Jay. Okay? There's too many people, he won't d-do anything if I have a lot of people around me." I shrugged. "I just…need to go."

"Okay, I'm not happy with it, but okay." Adam sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Dammit, Shay. I thought this was over. _We_ thought this was over."

"I know, Addy." My shy and soft voice took over, making the slight confidence yesterday fade. "I-I thought so too."

"Just, stay with John for the day, or one of us." Adam stated and I could see him shaking with anger. He was trying to mask it so I wouldn't see, knowing that I hated it when he was mad. I nodded and stood up, John standing too and standing behind me.

"Um, Shay, I'll be with you in a second." John nudged some snow with his shoe. "Go wait in the car, please."

I only nodded again and gently hugged Adam, Jay, and Chris before going across the street and into the passenger side to wait for John. It was strange to me, how he was still here, trying to get to know me better and taking it one step at a time. He was more patient than most of the guys I knew, he would do whatever it took to make me feel comfortable. If only it was as easy as it seemed. I didn't trust easily, I questioned people's motives and was often suspicious.

Dolph had helped cause that. The past was too hard to ignore, even though I had become so close until he noticed John hanging around me. He claimed he would hurt John, and Dolph often held to his promises, particularly if they involved hurting someone. Shuddering at the memories, I glanced out the window, seeing John getting lectured by Adam, Chris, and Jay. They were always like this, always trying to protect me when I just wanted to take care of something by myself.

Which is why I had to go to this party tonight. I had to start taking care of myself and become independent. I love my friends, but I can't be so dependent on others. I had to prove that I was anything but fragile, to Dolph, to my coworkers, and to myself.

John came back over and slid into the driver's seat, buckling his seat-belt and revving the engine. "So, you're actually coming to the party tonight?"

"Y-yes." I nodded as he peeled out of the parking lot and drove to the hotel.

"Great, I can't wait to see what you have in store."

"Thanks, I guess…" I trailed off with a smile. We sat the rest of the way in silence until we got to the hotel and back to our room. I sat down on the bed and John pulled out a chair and sat in front of me.

"Why didn't you say anything last night?"

"You were asleep John, I-I didn't want to wake you." I explained. John only nodded. "The party starts at eight, right?"

"Um, yeah." He seemed taken aback by the sudden change in subject.

"T-that gives me…seven hours." I nodded as I counted it out. "Yep." I stated as I grabbed the book out of my purse and opened it to my marked page.

"That's it?" John asked.

"Yeah…t-thanks John, for everything." I smiled and he nodded, moving over to work on his laptop.

_*John POV*_

I almost jumped when Shay did, grabbing a bunch of stuff before heading into the bathroom. My eyebrow rose suspiciously as the door closed behind her and the shower started running. She was getting ready. Glancing at the clock, I stood too, stretching my arms as I did. Running a hand through my hair, I pulled on a pair of black slacks and a white and black button down shirt. I had already fixed my hair this morning.

By the time I was done getting ready, Shay had just stepped out of the bathroom. As my eyes took a double-take, I grinned. She looked amazing. Shay was wearing a white halter-top styled dress that went to right above her knees. The dress fit her perfectly, hugging all her curves and accenting her best features. Her shoulders were bare, only being covered up by her golden blond hair, which she had straightened and styled perfectly with the sides pinned back.

She had even fixed her eye, probably caking it with foundation and concealer to make it look slightly normal. The bruise that still showed through she covered up with a smoky eye-shadow. Shay even wore white, strappy heels and had a silver chain with a pink maple leaf around her neck and a couple silver bracelets on each wrist. Truly, she looked perfect and I couldn't help but stare.

"J-John?" She questioned and I snapped out of it.

"You look amazing. Um, so who's your midnight kiss gonna be?" I asked, hoping she'd say me.

"Midnight kiss?" Shay blushed.

"Well, you're supposed to kiss someone at midnight for good luck, otherwise you'll have bad luck all year." I shrugged. "You don't have to."

"I think it would be fun." She shrugged back as she slid on her coat and followed me out to the car.

"Whoa, okay, where's Shay?" I asked and she shrugged again.

"W-well, I decided to start off the new year on a better note, so I'm going to try and come out of my shell."

"Oh." I smiled, still unable to take my eyes off of her as I opened the car door for her before entering my side of the car. "Well, that's good, but are you sure…"

"Y-yes, John. I'm sure." She smiled and I chuckled.

"Just makin' sure." I stated as we got to the club where the party was at. Shay got out and hooked her arm with mine as we entered. A couple people stopped to stare and she just gave a slight wave as we walked through to an open booth. "Do you wanna sit here and talk…" I trailed off.

"Sure." She nodded with a chuckle. "Still not to the dancing part yet, maybe in three weeks."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement as a few people approached our table. It was Adam, Jay, Chris, and Phil. Phil's jaw dropped in awe as he glanced at what Shay was wearing. "You look great, Shay."

"T-thanks." She blushed.

"Seriously, you look amazing." Jay whistled. "Hey, do you wanna come hang with us for a little while?"

Shay nodded before turning to me. "I-I'll be back in a little bit." I smiled and waved a little as she followed Chris, Jay, and Adam out. Phil went to go dance with another Diva. I could see Shay standing and laughing with her other friends. The same disappointing feeling had settled in me. I felt like there had to be more I could do, some way to get her to just let go.

The more logical side of me told me it would take time, understanding, and patience. It made me think about how I couldn't rush things with her. Her trust was delicate, fragile and could shatter at the drop of a hat. I couldn't test it day in and day out. I'd have to let her realize that I wasn't going anywhere, and that I would never treat her the way most other people do.

A couple hours later, Shay returned and smiled at me, watching her friends have fun.

"Shay?"

"Y-yes?"

"Thank you for spending that later part of the year with me. It's been a pleasure being around you. I can't describe it, it's…phenomenal." I chuckled dryly. "Here's to being good friends throughout 2010." I grabbed my glass and toasted it with hers. She smiled and nodded as she took a sip of the water.

Before I knew it, we only had a few minutes of 2009 left. Shay noticed too because she grabbed my wrist and literally dragged me to the dance floor. "Have you decided on the midnight kiss, yet?" I asked and she nodded.

"Um…" She blushed. "I-I was wondering if you'd like to be my midnight kiss. You are one of the only people I trust…"

I almost grinned, almost losing my cool and nodded. "Sure." Shay smiled back as she put her hands on my shoulder.

"Thank you, John." She thanked me as the DJ took out a megaphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! 2009 is just about to end, so I hope you have your midnight kiss ready! We don't want any of our beautiful ladies and handsome fellas to spend 2010 alone!" He laughed as he grinned. "Ready?" He began to count down from ten, everybody else chorusing him.

When he got down to three, I pulled Shay closer to me and as soon as he hit one, I leaned in to kiss her. She was shocked at first, but realized what was going on as she kissed me back. Her lips were soft, tasting faintly of watermelon lipgloss and as she kissed me back, her arms wrapped around my neck. Fireworks were literally going off all around us as everybody else had screamed 'Happy New Year'. Despite the noise, the only thing I could focus on was Shay. The way she fit perfectly into my arms and the way she seemed so…perfect. Suddenly, she pulled away. I must've gone too far, must've upset her somehow…"Shay…" I whispered.

"Happy New Year, John." She whispered back.

"Can you just tell me one thing?" I asked, still whispering. Slowly, she nodded. "Who hit you last night?" I felt bad for asking, but I just had to know. She leaned up to whisper in my ear.

"It was Nick."


	13. Falling

**Okay here's another chappy of UA!Yay,lol. I only own Shay, that's it and my OCs. Um, Thank you to all who have reviewed so far, the reviews mean the world to me and I love reading them:) Also, I'd like to thank my totally awesome e-sista Angel for beta-reading this!Yay, go Angel!Wooo! So, I think that's it...anyways pelase read, review and enjoy:)**_

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_*John POV*_

The second those three words left her lips, my blood boiled. It was Nick, he had been the one to hurt Shay. He laid his grimy hands on her, tried to control her.

"J-John?" Shay's gentle voice asked as she gazed curiously up at me.

"I…think we should leave." I stated, trying to stop my shaking voice. Shay nodded and I put an arm around her shoulders, walking out to the car and getting in. Silence hung in the air, a heavy curtain that fell just as the secret of what had happened to Shay was unveiled.

Shaking her head, Shay sighed. "I-I shouldn't have told you…"

"No, no, no. I'm _glad_ you told me." I replied quickly as I pulled out of the club's parking lot and started driving back to the hotel.

"You sound upset."

"I'm just…I don't know. I just didn't like the thought of anyone hurting my friends, let alone having it be a guy picking on a girl."

"F-friend?" She asked, her eyes a little wide. The icy blue contrasted with her warm personality, but it gave her a unique look. She hardly looked anything like her father, besides a couple facial features.

I shrugged. "Yeah, you're my friend, Shay." It didn't sound odd to me at all, it sounded natural. Shay was smiling sweetly and kept glancing around. Her soft lips, the kiss she gave me less than an hour ago was still fresh in my mind and I wanted more. She was addicting now and if she would let me, I'd most certainly be her one and only.

I guess it was too late to deny it anymore, especially to myself. It was the kiss that sent me over the edge and I could hardly contain myself from leaning over and kissing her again. She probably doesn't feel the same and would probably hate me if I even got close to her like that. "Oh, well t-that's great." She smiled shyly and I chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing." I shook my head with a smile. "So, are you heading to Raw for Bret's return?" She shook her head and my eyebrow rose. "Why not?"

"I-I have a huge bruise on my eye that w-will still be there by Monday. "

"Your dad would love to see you again." I pointed out.

"Not with this on my face." She gestured to her eye and sighed. The bruise did still show through a little bit, but she had put on enough makeup to cover it enough to ward off suspicion. "I-I can't wear this much makeup in a well lit room. He'll know what's going on and I-I don't want to worry him."

"Okay then…" I trailed off, pulling into the hotel parking lot. We got out and started heading up to our room.

"Besides, t-they have Nat, TJ, David, a-and Chris there. They won't even notice my absence. I-I already told them I wasn't coming."

"I thought Chris was your friend."

"He is, he and I are very c-close. I can't say too much about the other three."

"I thought you were friends with them." I frowned, confused and lost. She was friends with the Hart Dynasty, wasn't she? After all, she was their manager for a while.

"By f-force, they hung out with me. As children, our dad's were on the road a lot. S-so, we had to spend a lot of time together. They grew accustomed to my…um…problems." She fingered the ends of her golden-blond hair.

"I don't see any problems. You look and act perfectly fine to me." I smiled and she chuckled.

"Thanks."

"I'm serious, Shay. You're gorgeous, I just don't see why nobody else thinks so."

"Y-you're one of my only male coworkers to ever say that to me. The o-others are my friends." Shay explained as we entered our room. She instantly headed into the bathroom and a few minutes later, I heard the faucet running. She was removing the make up and sighing, I gently knocked on the door. "Um…come in." She said and I opened the door, shutting it behind me.

Shay held a damp washcloth and was looking into the mirror silently. She had changed into sweatpants and a nightshirt. Turning to look at me, she shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. "Let me help." I stated, coming closer to her. Wordlessly, she nodded and I put my hands on her waist, lifted her up and set her on the counter before standing in front of her. Handing me the washcloth, she sighed lightly and I tried to smile to lighten the mood. Starting at her bruised eye, I tried to gently swipe away the makeup.

She winced as I wiped away the makeup as gently as I could. Her mouth opened to let out a small gasp of pain and I stopped. "I'm fine, J-John." I only nodded and continued until her entire face was clean, albeit a little red. "T-thanks." She nodded and slid off the counter, but lost her footing and fell onto me. I let out a small cry of shock as one arm encircled around her waist and the other grabbed the door handle for support. In the end, we both fell anyways, Shay landing on top of me. "Sorry." Her face flushed red and she shook her head in embarrassment as she stood up. Lending me her hand, I took it and she helped me up.

"It's okay, I'm fine." I chuckled. "We should get to bed." I suggested and she nodded as she carefully moved over to her bed and slid onto it. Smiling at her, I went over to mine. "Good night Shay."

"Good night John."

* * *

_*Shay POV*_

I winced as John stormed out from the curtain, back into the backstage area. He had lost against Drew McIntyre after he had gotten John disqualified. He was angry, even though it was a planned loss. I had been walking beside him since I accompanied him to the ring and soon, I was struggling to keep up. As soon as I did, Drew came walking up next to us and snickered. "Losers." He cleared his throat and went on. John almost charged at him, but instead, turned around and kicked and equipment box. "Damn." He swore and growled.

"J-John, relax, please. He's only at the top because Hunter l-likes him. If he was somebody like Phil, he wouldn't even be able to walk after matches." I murmured and John sighed, running both hands through his hair as he nodded.

"I just don't like him." John sat on the equipment box he had just kicked and I sat beside him.

"I-I'm not exactly his biggest fan either." I shrugged as he got up again, following him until we reached the door for the male locker room. He smiled as best as he could through his frustration and gave me a hug before I left for the women's locker room.

As soon as I entered I knew I wasn't welcome. Beth, Maria, Layla, and Michelle were there and they all stopped talking as they saw me. Grabbing my bag, I sighed. "D-don't worry, I'm leaving." I exited the room, shaking my head as I heard them laugh. Making my way back to the men's locker room, I ran my free hand over my face. I needed to take a shower and since I wasn't welcome in the women's locker room, and I couldn't wait to get to the hotel, I would have to try here.

The door opened and John stood there, shocked. "Hey, Shay."

"U-Um, I was kinda…not welcomed with the Divas. May I come in?"

"Sure, everyone's decent." He let me in, letting the door slam behind me. All around, there were my coworkers sitting on benched or a couch. Half were just wearing towels, some wear dressed in their street clothes and some were decked out in their ring gear. Blushing, I ran my hand through my hair and adjusted my top. Since I had gone out to the ring, I wore black jeans with a black and silver halter top.

They all looked at me and I sighed. It was Chris, Phil, Shad, JTG, Ron, Finlay, Rey, Matt, and Batista. Yeah, this was going to turn out _fantastic_. "Um, I-I'm not exactly welcomed in the Diva's locker room. I was wondering if I-I could maybe take my shower here?"

"Sure, go ahead. It's at your leisure." Matt smiled before anybody could object. I nodded as I grabbed a couple towels and my bag before heading towards the shower area. On my way, Chris stopped me.

"Go to one of the ones at the very back, you're less likely to be spied on." He whispered and I nodded.

"Thanks." I replied as I headed back.

_*John POV*_

As the shower began running, Ron turned to me and rose his eyebrow. "What the…"

"Just be nice to her, she's nice to you." Matt scolded. "It's terrible how I have to remind people about common courtesy."

"I know." Chris sighed.

"Well, she's hot." Phil snickered. "She looked amazing at that party last night."

"She is indeed, nice curves. Great build, if you know what I'm saying." Dave chuckled.

"Great in-ring confidence, yet it could use some work outside the ring. She is quite sexy." JTG added and Shad murmured in agreement before they high-fived each other.

Rolling my eyes, I put my hair up in a bun, getting it out of my face. "You know, she doesn't talk a bout any of you behind your backs, so why don't you all just shut up?'

"Well _somebody's_ defensive." Phil murmured and I flipped him off before we heard a shrill yelp and a sharp thud. Jumping out of our seats, we all raced back to the shower area, coming to where Shay was supposed to be. Sure enough, the thirty-year old was sprawled on the floor, one hand holding her head, the other quickly wrapping a towel around herself.

The shower was still running and Chris, Matt and I knelt down around her. "Shay? Are you…"

"I-I'm fine." She muttered, turning a deep scarlet. "I just…slipped."

Giving her a once over, something caught my attention. There was a red liquid on the floor just outside the shower and around her leg. "No, you're not okay." I replied as she sat up as much as possible. Then, I saw it.

It was a scratch, more like a slice. She must've been shaving when she fell and scratched herself with the razor. The scratch started right above her ankle on the outside of her leg and went up to the corner of her knee. Blood was seeping from it, trickling down her leg and soon, everybody noticed it. "Oh my God…" Phil murmured. "That's a lot of blood."

Shay winced and grimaced as she shook her head. I frowned and picked her up bridal style. Everybody else filed into the locker room and I carefully walked out of the shower area. "I'm going to take her to the trainer's."

"C-can't I at least get dressed first?" She mumbled with another grimace as she looked down at the blood. Biting her lip, she looked away and I set her on the bench while Chris took out a first aid kit and cleaned the scratch before wrapping her leg in gauze. Each time he even got close to her leg, she winced and looked away.

"She hates the sight of blood." Matt explained quickly as he crossed his arms over his chest. I nodded in understanding and sighed. Standing, Shay hobbled over and grabbed her bag before returning to the shower area.

Five minutes later, she came out in shorts and a tank top. Blood has already started soaking through her gauze and she winced again as she accidentally stepped down on her foot. I was by her side in seconds, already scooping her into my arms. "Like I said before, I'll take her to the trainer's." I stated and Matt held the door open as I carried Shay out.

"I can walk." She frowned.

"I'm not taking the chance." I replied as she draped her arm around my shoulder to keep herself balanced. It was kinda…annoying how everything always ended up happening to her. Barely three days ago she got beat up by Dolph, now she had a scratch on her leg that put the Nile River to shame. As we got to the trainer's office, Shay knocked on the door with her free hand and soon, the medic let us in.

He looked shocked to see me carrying her, and gestured for me to set her down on the exam table. Setting her down, she sat up, letting one leg dangle off the side while the other was being examined. Slowly, he peeled away the gauze and cleaned it again. Shay looked away, biting her lip so hard I thought it would bleed. Her entire body was tense and as she looked at me, my heart softened. She looked like she was in pain and I wanted to make her pain go away.

Sitting next to her on a chair, I held her hand. "It'll be alright, Shay."

She shook her head in disagreement as the medic dabbed at the wound with a cloth. "She will be fine, just a scratch. It isn't deep. What happened?"

"I-I fell out of the shower shaving…" Shay trailed off, her face flushing red again.

"Oh." I could tell he was trying not to chuckle and I glared at him while his back was turned. The doc readied her leg and smiled. "Miss Hart, you'll be fine. It's dry now, so the bleeding should stop soon. Change the bandaging every few hours and let it air out so it can heal. I'll give you a few minutes to relax and then, you can go." With that, he went off to another part of the room, far away from Shay and I.

"Oh God…" Shay muttered. "A-A black eye, a scratch that puts the Nile River to shame…what's next? Am I going to fall down a flight of stairs?"

Chuckling, I shook my head. "I'd never let you fall down a flight of stairs. I'd be the one catching you." My eyes caught her lips as she chuckled too and bit her lip. My thoughts kept going back to that kiss, the sweet, soft and amazing kiss. It had set off fireworks inside me, lighting up my day and embedding warmth inside of me. Her kiss just gave me more reason to love her. Yeah, there was no denying it anymore.

I was in love with Shay Hart.


	14. Payback

**Wooo, here's another chappy of UA!lol. Sorry if the wait was long, I've been a little busy, but at least it's here:) I'd liek to thank my awesome E-sis, Angel for beta reading this and I'd like to thank my other E-Sis, Regan for giving me the idea for this chappy. Um, I only own Shay and my other OCs and thank you to all my reviewers. Now please read, review, and enjoy:)**_

* * *

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_*John POV*_

The show passed slowly and I couldn't wait for it to end. I had something important to do, something very important. Checking my watch, I knew it was time. Shay was with Chris, still catching up on lost time and I had the perfect opportunity. Standing up, I left catering and moved towards my destination; the locker room. Moving through the halls, I smiled and waved towards my coworkers until I finally got to the locker room.

Knocking on the door, I waited until he said 'come in'. Smiling, I entered the room, seeing it was empty except for the man sitting on the bench, untying his boot. His slicked back platinum hair was falling out of place and he looked deadbeat tired. After all, he did have a match with Kane earlier. Chuckling inside my head, I smirked, knowing that I had requested not having a match today, so I could help Shay and do this.

He looked up at me curiously, his eyebrow cocked and a frown plastered on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by." I shrugged as I walked closer to the bench, he stood up and sighed.

"Why?"

"Let's just say you and I are going to have a _long_ talk_." _I smirked, gripping the man by his shirt and pushing him against the wall. "Nick."

"Dude, what did I do it you?"

"It's not what you did to me, it's what you did to Shay." I scowled and glared at him. He chuckled.

"Oh, that? She just got what was coming to her." Before I could stop myself, my fist had connected with his jaw. His head snapped back and he gazed at me. "What the…" I cut him off with another punch and he pushed me away. He wiped his lip and glared. It only took those two punches to start the chaos.

_*Shay POV*_

I sat in the passenger side, staring out the window while Chris drove. Chris smiled and shook his head. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, I've t-taken worse before though." I shrugged.

"So, I'm glad we can catch up." He shrugged. "You weren't at the Bret Hart Monday Night Raw." He pointed out.

"I couldn't, I had t-this on my face." I gestured to my bruise, which had turned from purplish black at a yellowish green. It was healing, finally.

"He asked about you."

"R-really?" My eyebrow rose.

"He is your dad and he does care for you." Chris stated. "He wondered why you weren't there. He's still weary about you and what happened. Why do you think he tipped me in to make sure you were around one of us? I got you on Smackdown, where Adam was." He explained as he pulled into the hotel. He let me out before handing me my bags and walking with me into the lobby. Standing with me in the lobby, he smiled. "At least your leg feels better."

It was true, I now longer had to have the gauze, but it still hurt a little to walk. We had to tell Vince about it and he said that he'd dump my match to next week. Again, it was times like that where I was glad Vince liked me, otherwise, I would be coming back from a match, stiff, sore, and in even more pain.

The lobby was busy, many Superstars were milling around and talking. I saw John and smiled as I walked up to him, giving him a small hug. He quietly hugged me back and nodded, acknowledging my prescence. Slowly, he moved to walk behind me. "Let's go up to our room."

Now this was odd. Normally he greeted me before even saying anything about where we were going. "J-John, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." He shrugged as he walked quickly towards the elevator. Speed walking, I caught up with him as he was about to press the call button. Something caught my eye. Nick sat on a bench, his lip was split and his eye was blackened. One arm was slung around his stomach and the other held ice to his head. People were asking him questions, worrying and fretting over his injuries. I was curious as well, he had been fine earlier. Perfectly fine, now he looked like he picked a bone with Mark in an Unsanctioned Hell in a Cell match.

John put his arma round me and attempted to guide me into the elevator, shaking my head, I looked at Nick a little bit more. He looked up and an immediate air of fear settled into his eyes.

It took me a moment to realize he wasn't afraid of me, no, his gaze had traveled upward. To John. Brushing it off, I followed John into the elevator. My mind couldn't leave the mystery, though. What had happened to Nick wasn't a result of his match against Glenn earlier. No, it had to be after the match, but before I got back to the hotel. It had been a span of about three hours and everybody else was worrying over him.

The elevator stopped at our floor and we got to our room. John fumbled through his pockets for the key card and finally, I got to look in his eyes. Something was wrong, incredibly wrong. He was acting strangely, avoiding talking to me and not even looking me in the eye. It emitted guilt, like he had done something wrong. My eyebrows knitted together as it finally sunk in…

The way Nick looked at John in fear, the way John was avoiding talking…it was setting in. John had done the damage I had seen to Nick. My sun, my safe haven, my peaceful resort had used violence to vent his anger. I simply couldn't bear it. Tears welled up in my eyes, stinging as they rolled down my cheeks, silently dripping off and splashing onto the carpeted floor. John held the door open and as he looked at me, he looked confused. "Shay?"

I shook my head. "Y-You were the one who hurt Nick."

His eyes darkened and he knew he had been caught. "I did what I had to."

"Y-you didn't have to hurt him." I stated.

"He hurt you, do you want me to just let him get away with that?" John questioned.

"I-I didn't w-want you to _hurt_ him, John." I stammered as John sighed and let go of the door. "So, you'd let him just walk?"

"I-I doubt he can walk after what you d-did to him. What did you do, exactly?" I questioned back. Fear and thousands of thoughts raced through my head, coursing through my mind and letting doubt ease into it. If he had gotten angry over what happened to me and did that much damage to Nick, what was he capable of doing to me if I got him angry?

"I made him regret what he did."

"Y-you gave him liable reason to go back after you." I corrected. "W-what are you trying to do, John? S-start a war?"

"Shay, no…I was just giving him what he deserved."

"A-and you'll be lucky if he doesn't press charges, John. D-do you have any idea h-how much trouble you could get into?"

"I don't care. Now can we please go inside?" He asked and I shook my head and grabbed my bag.

"I-I'm sorry, John." With that, I walked down the hallway , Just as Chris stepped into it. John had already entered the hotel room, letting it slam behind him. Chris looked at me curiously.

"Are you…?"

"C-can I stay with you, Chris?" I asked.

"Of course." He stated as he put an arm around my shoulder and walked me to his room. It hurt to have to walk away from John, but until I figured him out, it would be best. I'd have to deal with it. No matter how much it hurt.


	15. Fragile

**Here's another chappy of UA!Yayyyy!lol. I only own Shay, huge thank you to my e-sistas Angel and Regan for helping me with this fic. I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers for sticking with this story:) So please read, reivew and enjoy:)**_

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_*Chris POV*_

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing as I walked through the arena halls. Taking my schedule, I smirked seeing what was going to happen. Tonight, I'd be facing John, and then Drew was going to humiliate him even more.. Walking into my locker room, I saw Shay sitting on a bench, warming up for her match. She had a match tonight, against Nattie. The two hadn't really been talking lately, and I didn't know if it was because Shay was usually with John or what…

Shay wore black shorts that went to just above mid-thigh with a silver and black bra top, which flaunted off her toned stomach and arms. She wore black combat boots that went up to just under her knees, hiding the scar left by her incident a week or so ago. The blond Canadian smiled as she noticed me and stopped stretching to walk up to me and hug me.

Later, she'd accompany John out to the ring, like always and she'd cheer for him until they got backstage again. Apparently, the two got into a fight over something and weren't talking. She hadn't told me anything yet, but she did call Adam last night, she wasn't crying, which was a first considering she had been in a fight.

"You sure you wanna go out there?"

"C-Chris, it's my job, I-I kinda have to." She smiled and stepped back. "We have to go…" She stated as I followed her out to the curtain. John was already waiting and he almost smiled as he looked her over, but realized that she wasn't going to talk to him. My music hit and I went out to the ring to give one of my well-practiced speeches.

After I had finished my speech on how the Tyson incident wouldn't affect me, John's music hit. He came out with Shay by his side and the duo went around slapping hands before getting into the ring. They entered the ring together and Shay gestured to John before hugging him and sliding out of the ring to stand by the apron. The match started and John and I got really close, I glared and in a low voice asked. "What did you do to Shay?" The microphones couldn't pick it up and his eyebrow rose.

"I didn't do anything to her…it was what I did to Nick."

"You reacted violently? That explains so much." I shook my head, the fans thinking that this was some trash talk before the match. "Just do us all a favor and leave her alone. She has enough to worry about without you getting into the picture." I stated, shoving him backwards. His face hardened into a glare as he quickly got a punch in, landing directly on my bruise from Tyson. Clutching my face, I sunk to my knees, wincing. Almost as soon as I got up, John clotheslined me over the top ropes, and out of the ring. As John got onto the top rope, Drew's music hit and John easily hopped off of the turnbuckle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shay roll her eyes at Drew's presence. It was amazing what Shay could do. She could hide her shyness, tucking it away into the back of her mind while she did a promo, or worked a match. Along with that, she could actually wrestle, unlike half of the WWE Divas. I guess part of it came from being trained in the Dungeon, otherwise it'd simply be pure talent. Drew sat down by commentary and I got back into the ring.

Before I knew it, John had clotheslined me again on my rebound from the ropes. Hitting the canvas with a hard thud, I sighed, breathing heavily. He beat on me as if it were my fault that Shay wasn't talking to him. As he delivered blow after blow, I saw the 'onscreen' Shay's eye's light up. Every now and then, John would glance at Drew, hoping to show the Intercontinental Champion that he could beat him, if given the right chance under the right circumstances.

John went for another high-flying assault technique, one I countered by pushing him off the rope. Shay was glancing at Drew every now and then, trying to figure out if he'd be getting involved. Figures they wouldn't tell her about half the stuff that was supposed to go on. I ducked out of the ring and threw John back in.

Every time I landed a blow, he countered it and soon, I found myself struggling to get up. Dodging another blow from John, I ran to the ropes, rebounded, and pulled him into a running bulldog. If I wanted to win this match and get my revenge for Shay, I'd have to work on the evasiveness a bit more… Mere minutes later, I was flat on my back again, just barely getting out of the pin. John's eyes flickered to Drew McIntyre and he shook his head as he got up and kicked me in the chest.

Shay's eyes were lit up and she smiled as John got the upper hand for a few moments before once again glancing at Drew. Quickly taking this opportunity, I tried to pull him into the Walls of Jericho before being kicked away by John. Growling in my throat, I got up and ran after him, only to have him dodge out of the way, sending me into the ring post. My eyes glanced over at Shay, who sent a small glance back at me before focusing in rooting for John. It must've been killing her, being betrayed by somebody she thought cared about her. Yet, I could be blowing this all out of proportion. I had no idea what the argument had been about, all I knew was that he had upset her in some way, fairly well enough to keep her from wanting to talk to him.

Getting back to the match, I skillfully eluded a Starship Pain and attempted another Walls of Jericho. Once again, John threw me off. After sending more blows into me, I grabbed him, lifted him and slammed him into the mat. Grabbing his hair, I punched him twice before Irish whipping him into the corner and countering another move. This time, I locked in the Walls of Jericho and smirked to myself, despite knowing how this would end. John crawled towards the rope, grasping it in his hands, forcing me to let go.

John got distracted by McIntyre and when he turned around, I caught him in a Code Breaker and got the pin. My music blasted again and the ref raised my hand. Shay's eyes dimmed as she slid into the ring to check on John. She backed up as Drew came into the ring, walking on John's face as he chuckled, taunting John with the title. He pushed Shay out of the way as he left the ring. Shay went back down to check on John, holing him up and helping him out of the ring and into the backstage area.

_*John POV*_

As soon as we got backstage, Shay slunk away, clearly reminding me that we weren't exactly on talking terms. "Shay…" I groaned, somewhat out of pain and kind of because I was worried. "What did you want me to do? Just let him get away with it?"

"I-I don't take too well to violence, J-John." She muttered.

"He hit you once, that's enough to justify a warning."

"D-didn't we go through this a few days ago?" She asked. "I-I don't have time for this, we have a promo to do a-and I have a match." She stated, leading the way down the hall. Her foot got caught on an electrical wire and quickly, she grabbed onto a cart for support. The cart rolled away and she fell. I tried to reach out and help her, but she had already met the ground. Lending out a hand, she took it and blushed before turning away and walking again. "T-thanks."

My heart sunk, she had never acted like this before, never. We had been hanging around each other for a few months and I had fallen for her, only to have her be mad at me for committing an act of justice. "It was just once…" I murmured, but she heard me. Glancing over her shoulder, I could see a faint glimmer in her eyes. It flashed with secrecy, with guilt and sorrow, a sad gleam that beckoned for help. She was hiding something. I opened my mouth to ask her, but she had already gotten to the backstage segment area. I frowned, wincing as I got back into character.

She put on a worried gaze as she bit her lip before walking in like she was supposed to. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm…fine."

"You sure? I couldn't help but worry about you, from where I saw it, it was pretty painful." She smiled warmly as she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good, fine…"

She sighed. "If you say so, but do us all a favor and win back that title as soon as possible. The last thing we need is Jericho as champion, or staying with McIntyre as champ." She replied as she leaned up kissed my cheek. "The gold looks much, much better on you anyways." she winked as her hand slipped down to glide across my stomach as she walked to my other side.

My breath caught in my throat and I smiled. "Uh...um…Thanks, and good luck with your match!" I called after her as she waved her hand as she walked, a signal that she had heard me. The camera cut back to me as I watched her walk off, smiling and shaking my head.

"Cut!" The stagehand said and I jogged to catch up with her, ignoring the pain in my side.

"Shay, it was just one time, right?"

Shay looked back at me with a slight frown. "D-don't worry about it."

That wasn't a yes…or a no. "What do you mean, 'don't worry about it'."

"I-I mean…don't worry about it." She stated as she ducked into the women's locker room. Growling, I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. This wasn't the way this was supposed to go.

_*Shay POV*_

I bit my lip, pushing back the tear that had threatened to fall. I couldn't cry, it would just be admitting defeat. He had taught me that. Sitting on the bench, I took a deep breath in and released it, calming myself. Nattie came into the locker room. Shaking my head, I rubbed my temples before taking another deep breath. "H-hey." I waved slightly. She just curtly nodded before sitting down.

"So, are you and John dating?"

The question caught my attention and I shook my head. "No."

"Really?" Nattie asked, "I saw you smooching on him at the New Year's Party."

"T-that was two weeks ago." I replied.

"Mmmhmmm…well, that's good." She stated and my eyebrow rose.

"Why?"

"I just don't think he's good for you. I mean, Shay, we've known each other for years…he's just not your type." She shrugged and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"W-whatever. We have a match. " I stated, shrugging off the events of the day and making my way to the curtain. Nattie followed and sighed.

"Shay, be reasonable…he's bound to let you down…sooner or later, he'll be just like all the rest."

"Can you…for once be happy for me?" I asked before her music hit and she went out there. Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair before my own music hit.

_Were are the people who accused me? The one's who beat me down and bruised me. They hide just out of sight, can't face me in the light. They'll return but I'll be stronger….God I want to dream again. Take me where I've never been. I want to go there, this time I'm not scared. Now I'm unbreakable, it's unmistakable. No one can touch me, no one can stop me…_

"From Calgary, Alberta , Canada…Shay!" The ring announcer announced.

I ducked between the third and second rope as I got into the ring, a smile on my face as I climbed onto the turnbuckle and gestured to the crowd. They cheered for me as they booed Nattie. The match started and I hopped off the turnbuckle to duck Nattie's clothesline and quickly reverse it into a Russian Legsweep.

The match went pretty back and forth, until I got her down to the mat, consulted her, and sweeped it into a Sharpshooter. Mere moments passed before she tapped out and my music hit once more as I was announced the winner.

Taking the mic, I smirked. "See here, I know we used to be friends. Hell, I grew up with you, but I'm not exactly sure if this is what was intended. You see here, Natalya, I'm sick of The Hart Dynasty trying to follow in the footsteps of The Hart Foundation. It just won't happen because nobody can match the greatness of our fathers, our family members who went through this business before us. My dad said it best when he said the he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. I'm creating my own legacy so when I look back on my career, I won't be remembered as 'just another Hart,' I'll be remembered as Shay Hart." I handed back the mic and slid between the ropes before dropping down off the apron and making my way up the ramp, waving and slapping the crowd's hands as I went. When I got backstage, I waited for Nattie before I began walking with her.

"Nice speech out there." She muttered. "What has gotten into you lately?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"You've just been acting…weird."

"What do you mean, weird?"

"See? You're talking."

"I-Is that a problem?"

"You're talking to Chris again, you're dressing weird and acting weird." She stated and I sighed.

"I'm c-coming out of my shell, Nattie. F-finally I'm regaining the p-parts of me that I thought I had lost forever. I-I'm finding people who actually care for me, who have a-actually gotten to know me before befriending me. You, TJ, and DH were forced to hang with me and I grew on you. T-there's a difference." I stated.

"See, this is what I mean. You're giving your opinions on things and are actually responding." Nattie replied and I shook my head.

"Is that a p-problem? Or did you find it amusing that I had to r-rely on others for a while. H-here's a newsflash, Nattie, I'm not as fragile as everybody thinks." I smirked to myself as I walked away, leaving her shocked in the middle of the hallway.


	16. Victimized

_**Here's UA!! Sorry if it seems like a really long time since I updated, I just got behind on a few things but I'm sort of caught up now, lol. Okay, I own only Shay and Cori(who is mentioned in this chappy, if you wanna learn more about her, read my story; 'My Twisted Fairytale') Thanks to Angel for beta-reading this and to Regan for helping me with ideas, you two are totally awesome! Moving on, please read, review, and enjoy:)**

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*Shay POV*

I walked into Chris's locker room just as he had thrown his phone to the side. Running his hands over his face and then through his hair, he sighed. Cautiously sitting down next to him, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "W-what's wrong, Chris?"

"She's leaving me." He sighed, resting his head in his hands. By saying 'she' I knew he meant his wife.

"What? W-why?"

He shrugged. "We've been having problems lately." I merely nodded. "Is something wrong with you?"

Shaking my head, I glanced away. Chris sighed and took my chin in his hand, making me look at him.

"Shay, whatever's going on, you can tell me."

"I-I'm scared, Chris." I stated, shutting my eyes to force back the tears.

"Why?"

"Because…y-you saw what happened to N-Nick, right?" I asked and he nodded, muttering something about that 'dirty creep' deserving it. "W-well, John did that to him. He did it because he wanted revenge for me."

"So that's why you two aren't talking and why you bunked with me that night." Chris said and I nodded. "Why did that frighten you?"

"B-because I thought about what Nick had done to me and what John did to him b-because of that. I-if he can cause that much damage over something as minor as t-that black eye and bruised ribs, c-can you imagine what he'd do when--_if--_ he were to find out what N-Nick used to do?"

"That's not all of it." Chris shook his head.

"A-and can you imagine what he'd be capable of doing to me if _I_ w-were to get him upset?" I asked. "I-I'm scared that I could get hurt again. Y-you saw what happened the last time." The tears trickled down my cheeks and Chris sighed as he pulled me close to him, stroking my hair with one hand while the other circled around me.

"He'd never hurt you, Shay. John would never hurt you, you don't have to be afraid. Anybody and everybody is capable of hurting you, every guy out there is capable of throwing a punch. What happened last time was because you were shy anyways, he just made it worse. I also heard what you said to Nattie, what's gotten into you? You never talk like that, to us or to anyone."

"I-I'm just…I don't know. I'm just…sick of everything, you know?" I stood up and he walked with me out the door and down the hall. He nodded, throwing an arm over my shoulder. It reminded me of John. John had done that millions of times. Taking a deep breath, I sighed, not smelling the scent of John's cologne, or the scent of his shampoo and aftershave. It was just Chris, two completely different, yet equally calming presences.

As we walked down the hall, Chris's arm slipped down by his side. "So…"

"Um, I-I heard that Adam will be here soon." I smiled. "It's been awhile since we've seen him."

"Yeah, um Shay?"

"Hm?"

"Don't get mad at me, but you should tell John about what happened with you and Nick. All of it." He smiled weakly and I nodded. "Great, 'cuase I know you two will make up."

"H-how?"

"Just trust me, I know this kinda thing." With that, he smiled and walked with me down the hall. As we turned the corner, I ran into Michelle. The fact that she was standing and I was walking sent me to the ground, well almost. Chris caught me and set me upright. It was kind of strange how every time I fell, somebody was there to catch me, well, most of the time anyways.

Michelle rose her eyebrow at me as I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks. She scowled and shook her head as she looked down at herself. As it turns out, she had been carrying two coffees, one of which had spilled onto her pristine white tube top and white jeans. Cringing, I glanced at the stains and resisted the urge to flinch as I saw the fury rage in her eyes. She was going to get me back, just like she'd personally attack me for no reason. All I had to do was wait.

As I expected, Michelle threw the other coffee at me. The hot, dark liquid splashed into my face and shirt and I sputtered cappuccino as Chris quickly grabbed a towel from a nearby locker room and handed it to me. Wiping white foam off of my face, I gasped as she laughed.

"Next time, watch where you're going." Her laugh faded into another scowl as she rolled her eyes and strutted own the hall, mumbling something about her ruined outfit. Chris scoffed.

"Are you okay, Shay?" He asked. "You aren't burnt or anything?"

"I-I-I'm fine…Chris." I stated, drying my hair as much as possible, biting my lip to keep back the tears. I wasn't surprised by what she did, but it still stung.

"No, you're not." The familiar voice made me drop the towel in my hands. My eyes widened as Adam came into view. He was frowning as he took in the sight of me, hair darkened to a light brown and sticky from the coffee, my sweater ruined and stained. Coffee still dripped from the tip of my nose and the ends of my hair along with the hem of my shirt.

"H-Hi, Adam. I d-didn't know you were going to be here." I looked away and almost ran my hand through my hair until I remembered that my hair was a mess.

"That's because I wanted to surprise you, apparently I'm the one being surprised. It's getting worse, Shay. It's always been bad, but…damn…" He trailed off.

"I can handle it, Adam." I murmured and he sighed.

"Shay, I want nothing more than to be able to believe you right now, but I don't think I can. We saw what happened recently with Dolph and what happened before. If this goes on, Shay, than who knows what kind of emotional trauma it can cause." Adam replied.

"I-I'll be…"

"Fine? Shay you always say you're fine when you really aren't." Adam replied and I knew he was right. There was never any use arguing with Adam, he always won. "Shay…"

"I-Is this where I get my lecture on h-how to get over it and stop being stubborn?" I asked softly. "I-I'm sorry, Adam. I really am, but I don't have time. I-I have to go get cleaned up."

Adam gently grabbed my wrist. "Why don't you hang out with Chris, Jay and I, tonight?"

"A-alright." I nodded and smiled. Walking back into the locker room, I paused when I saw Mickie sitting on the bench, tearing up at the segment being shot in the ring. It was the Diva's 'match' where Layla had dressed up as Mickie and they made fun of her. Sighing, I sat beside her and put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at me, alarmed with my sudden approach. "Y-you okay?"

She scoffed as she looked at me. "Are you?"

"I-I'll live." I shrugged.

"Is…is it this bad for you?"

Again, I shrugged. "U-usually, yes." She sighed and I dug through my duffel bag and handed her a tissue. Dabbing at her eyes, she nodded.

"Thanks, Shay."

"H-hey, do you want to hand out w-with me and my friends?" She looked at me quizzically and I chuckled. "Y-yes, I actually do have friends. D-don't listen to a word Michelle tells you."

"It's not that, I just didn't expect you to be so…"

"I-inviting?" Mickie nodded and I smiled. "Y-you're a victim of Michelle, I'm a victim, m-might as well be victims together."

She chuckled. "I won't be disrupting…?"

"No, n-not at all, it's just Chris, Jay , Adam and I."

"Sure, then. I'd love to join you."

"G-great, I just need to go get c-cleaned up." I smiled as I took my shower and got dressed. When I came back out, Mickie was waiting for me and I led her to where Chris and Adam were, standing exactly where I left them. "H-hey, guys." They stopped talking and looked at me. Instantly, both men smiled.

"Hey, Shay, Mickie." They said in unison. "We were just talking about what to do tonight. Do you wanna go to a club?'

"N-no, sorry. Besides, Chris, w-with all due respect, I don't think you should drink." I let a playful smile cross my face and he frowned.

"Not my fault, Shane hit me, thank you very much. Had he not gotten slap happy, we wouldn't have been caught and we wouldn't have been arrested." Chris rolled his eyes.

I shrugged and he threw an arm over my shoulders. Adam did the same. "Let's go."

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting by Adam across from Jay, Chris, and Mickie at a diner. "S-So…"

"So, you've been hanging with John?"

The question took me by surprise and I nodded . "Y-yeah, we haven't had a chance to talk much r-recently, though."

Jay nodded. "Well, what do you want for your birthday?"

I raised my eyebrow at him. "W-what?"

"Your birthday's in a few weeks, I wanna know what you want so I can get it."

"I-I don't want anything specific. I'll be fine with whatever you get me." I shrugged.

Mickie chuckled. "There must be something." She smiled. "When is your birthday?"

"F-February 20th." I replied with a sigh. "P-please don't make a huge fuss about it."

"Does John know your birthday?" Chris asked and I gave him a pointed look, but it probably fell flat.

"N-No, I intend on going without telling him, he-he'd make a fuss about it." I stated, trying to steer clear of any subjects relating to John. I was failing though, I'd always end up thinking about him, somehow.

"You know, Shay, life would be much easier if you let people in." Jay mumbled.

"I-I know, I know." I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head.

Adam smiled. "C'mon now, guys, we didn't do this to be all lecturing and stuff. How was your guys' days?"

"Fine." Jay smiled. "I talked with Cori today."

"How's she doing?"

"Good, she'll be back in the ring in a few months, but she's good." Jay nodded talking a drink of his coffee.

"Oh, she was the one who got shot right?" Mickie asked and we all nodded. She slowly nodded to and smiled. "Well as long as she's doing well."

"Yeah, she's tough. Well, she said that she's visiting next week, so we'll get to see her." Jay continued. "Other than that, my day was pretty normal."

"My day was great." Adam chuckled. "I'm pretty close to returning to the ring and I can't wait to see everybody on a daily basis again."

"T-that's great, Adam." I smiled and hugged him.

"My day was horrific, my wife called; wants a divorce. I was arrested a few days ago…eh, the rest of the day was pretty slow. What about you two ladies."

Mickie and I looked at each other and sighed. "Victimized by McTitleHoggingHo." Mickie stated and I chuckled. "She makes fun of me onscreen."

"A-and me off-screen, s-sometimes she gets Mickie off-screen too." I shrugged.

"That's why you had coffee on you?" Adam asked.

"Y-yeah, I ran into her, spilled her coffee so she threw the other one onto me."

"She poured hot coffee on you because you ran into her?" Jay asked. "Are you alright?"

"I-it's not like it was scalding. I-I'm fine, really." I insisted and Jay just shook his head. Why did it seem like every word out of my mouth caused a dilemma like this?

"You didn't deserve it. Why don't you just tell Vince what's been going on these past few years? If he knew what they've been doing to you for years and years, he wouldn't tolerate it." Jay pointed out. "Stand up for yourself and do what you have to do to make yourself feel safe. You shouldn't have to look over your shoulder or wince every time someone says your name."

"He has a point, Shay. We can only do so much…" Chris trailed off. I knew they wanted to help me, but they couldn't because Vince would need me to actually say that something was going on. Vince wasn't a 'through the grapevine' kind of guy, he was more like the 'tell me yourself' sort of person.

"The problem hasn't gone away, Shay. We thought it would if you were on a roster with at least one of us, but it never did. They just got sneakier about it, when you're alone on a roster, they go after you like sharks on chum." Adam stated. "It isn't going away, Shay." He shook his head. "Not unless you make it."

They were all right. This problem…this issue my coworkers seemed to have with me…it wasn't going away. No matter how hard they tried or how civilly I tried, it never went away. It got worse, and more personal. Vince doesn't know, and if he did half the people probably wouldn't have jobs. But I couldn't tell Vince, no, that would only cause more troubles. They'd know I 'tattled' to the boss and it would get much, much worse than ever before. I knew what I had to do, I had to make the change. I had to start standing up for myself and proving that I wasn't going to tolerate it anymore. I was going to revolutionize how they thought of me. If only I knew how.


	17. Enough

**Here's another chappy of UA!!lol, I know how much all of my readers love this fic,lol. Um, I only own Shay, muchos gracias mi amiga Angel for beta-reading this! Thank you to all my readers for enjoying this fic, you all are awesome! Check out my profile, there's some important stuff on there,lol. So please read, review, and enjoy:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

No matter what, I couldn't stay mad at him. What he had done was miniscule, and I was realizing that. But the doubt, the fear, still clung to my mind. It tore away inside me, ripping into my trust and decomposing it. I wasn't afraid of John, I was afraid of the past, and about history repeating itself. The past had faded, a dim memory that, though it was just an ember, faintly glowed in the back of my mind. What had happened to me was terrible, even though some people got it worse.

What he had done to me sent me even deeper into whatever shell was encased around me, burying my personality and thoughts under a thick layer of orders, rules, and guidelines I would be forced to follow. Little by little, as his grip on me loosened until there were miles between us, I became me again.

Though shy and reclusive, I was still capable of going through each day, barely checking over my shoulder, fearing that his eagle eyes would have their sights set on me once again. Still before him and the cold, painful trap he had me in for two years. Right now, it would have been the beginning of my second year without him. I was still a little shocked by the fact that it had been this long.

To be truthfully honest, a part of me thought I was an idiot, an overreacting fool to avoid John as much as possible. He wouldn't hurt me, he had cared for me, helped me and stuck with me even though I wasn't exactly a social butterfly. He was the epitome of all things pure and honest, he was strong, protective, and caring. It made me realize that what he had done to Nick wasn't just a burst of violence, he had done it for me. He had wanted to protect me, prevent Nick from hurting me again.

It was exactly what I needed, protection, something safe and warm to hold me until the storms cleared up and I was whole again. I needed somebody like John, I wanted somebody like John. He was perfect. And I was in love with him. I just couldn't believe it took me this long to figure it out.

_*John POV*_

I sighed again as I walked down the hall, my eyes low to the ground. I felt like one of those poor mutts you see on T.V., the ones who mope around with their tail between their legs, feeling guilty and saddened because no one wants to deal with them. Shay was upset with me, yet she hadn't even raised her voice, which is another thing I learned. Just because somebody's angry, it doesn't mean they have to raise their voice so you'll know, you can just know by the way they look at you, or the underlying tones smothered by a sweet, soft voice similar to the light chiming of wind chimes.

It felt like I was missing a part of me. After spending almost five months with somebody, you get pretty used to having them around. It had been two weeks and I was already kinda losing it. As I walked down the hall, not even paying attention to where I was going, I knew what I'd end up doing. I'd end up groveling at Shay's feet, begging for forgiveness so she could just talk to me again.

Before I knew it, I had run into somebody. They smacked into my chest and with a small yelp started falling. I knew who it was without even bothering to look. I recognized the yelp, the hand that groped around, looking for something stable to latch on to. I recognized the smooth reaction I had to the fall. My arms went out, scooping her up before she had reached the cold, concrete floor and tucking her in close. It was rehearsed; I had done it many times, it was an easy, quick and impulsive reaction, I had done so without thinking about it.

Shay glanced up at me, cheeks flushing red as she apologized and stepped back a little. Her eyes sparkled with a small shimmer of sadness and I knew she missed me just as much as I had missed her. "I-I'm sorry, John." She said first, her voice as soft as ever. "I-I overreacted and…I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Sunshine. I just want to be able to talk again."

"You like talking to me?"

I just smiled and hugged her. "Yeah, Sunshine. I love talking to you. So, we're alright now?"

"Y-yeah." She nodded and smiled. I threw an arm over her shoulder and we walked into catering.

Bad idea. As soon as we entered, we were confronted.

"So, you're talking now?" Chris asked, eyebrow raised at how close Shay and I were. Nattie was by his side, along with the Hart Dynasty.

"And you're dating? Didn't you tell me last week that you weren't?" Nattie asked, a confused and angry look set on her face. The questions were directed at Shay and she sighed as she slid my arm away from her shoulder and crossed her own arms over her chest.

"Yeah, w-we're talking now. We got over our little argument. A-and secondly, no we're not dating. We're just close friends."

The words 'not dating' and 'close friends' stung. I wanted to be more, but I wasn't quite sure if she wanted to.

"Am I sensing some drama up in here?" Michelle asked, coming out of nowhere and soon, the whole room's eyes were on us. "Oh, it's just you, the most boring person on this roster."

I frowned, curious as to why Michelle mistreated Shay so badly. From what I knew, they didn't have any 'bad blood' between them. Just two women who came from opposite worlds, I suppose. "So, are you okay, John? I mean, after hanging out with this for five months, you're bound to have caught _something_ off of her."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Shay put a hand on my chest. "I-I got this, John."

"I doubt that, you can barely utter a sentence without stuttering." Dave called from nearby.

Shay blushed. "I-I…w-well…"

"W-well…?" Dave asked, mocking her stutter. Her face got redder and I pinched the bridge of my nose, mere moments away from lashing out, but seeing the way she acted before, I couldn't lash out around Shay.

"Y-Yeah, S-shay….w-what were you…g-g-going to say?"

"I…n-nothing." She shook her head.

"Girl, you better thank your lucky stars that you can pull off half the stuff you do in the ring. If you couldn't, then you wouldn't even be here right now. You'd be sitting in Calgary, slowly freezing as you realized that you're nothing more than a pitiful excuse for a Hart. You're just a spineless sea sponge who soaked in the fame of your father. " I remembered the voice, it was Dave's. I also saw Shay stride up to him and smack the smirk right off his face. Everything fell silent, nobody had expected that. My mouth hung open in a small 'o' and I ran a hand through my hair as Dave stood up, seething. He towered over her, but she held her ground, even though I would be ready to get in there if I needed to. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Shay nodded. "I believe I just silenced an entire room, and I just wiped the smirk of your not-so-pretty face."

"You have a lot of nerve."

"Really, didn't you just call me a spineless sea sponge that just soaked in the fame of my father?" Her eyebrow rose as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Dave stammered out . "Y-yeah…but…I-I…"

"Y-yeah…but…yeah but what, Dave?" Shay asked, mocking him just as he had mocked her. When Dave gave her no response, she nodded. "Exactly." It was strange, her voice never raised. She said what she needed just as softly as she did whenever she would talk. "N-now, if you don't mind, I have things to do." She turned around and got about five feet away from me before Michelle, Layla, and the rest of the Divas got in her way. "A-and what could you guys possibly want?"

"Listen up…I am sick and tired of you."

"S-sick and tired of me?" She asked. "No, no, no. Y-you have it wrong. I am the one that's sick and tired. I'm sick and tired of walking in here day in and day out, taking crap from you." She jabbed Michelle in the shoulder with her finger before gesturing to the rest of the Divas. "And you, you, you…and most of you." Her arm swept around the room, gesturing to the entire room. It was a tri-branded show, the Royal Rumble to be exact. The PPV was about to start any second now and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a stagehand beckoning over the participants in the first few matches.

"Out of everyone, I am the one who gets shoved around. The jobbers are treated better than me. Why? Is it because I don't like to raise my voice, is it because I don't like to prance around in skimpy clothing and dance like a hooker? Is it because I'm different from my family, is it because I walk like a child in their mother's heels?" She asked, her voice become slightly louder.

"Or maybe it's because, unlike half the people here, I actually have talent, but I don't boast or brag. Is it because I don't socialize with anybody, is it because I have a small self-esteem problem?" She was shuddering with the words, anger coursing through her and to be honest, I was kinda scared. She had never even gotten close to yelling and here she was, telling people off like nobody's business. I was also proud of her, she was holding her own against most of the WWE.

"All I want to know is why you all treat me this way, okay? That is all I ever wanted from all of you. All I want is for all of you to tell me to my face why I'm treated like this. All you need to do is get your heads out of your asses and tell me _why." _I had never heard her swear before, but there was a first time for everything…

"Yeah, you're all wondering to yourself what the hell is going on because I am doing things I don't normally do. This here isn't a 'new Shay' this here is an angry Shay. I have soaked in and been tormented for most of my life and it's all coming out here. All of it, all my pent up frustrations and questions I want the answers to. I am sick of it, but I know that by tomorrow, everything will go back to normal. You'll all go back to teasing me and hating me for no particular reason besides the fact that you can. Like I said before, this is probably a one-time occurrence, so take a good look." She turned to walk out of catering and I was about to follow her.

Seconds later, somebody grabbed her wrist and yanked her around to face them. The person smacked them and I was surprised to see it was Nattie. "I can't believe you." She spat.

"You can't believe that I finally had enough of everybody's crap? What did you want me to do, Nat? Just sit there and take it day after day?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I expected. Now what has gotten into you? Did he tell you to do that?" She gestured to me and Shay sighed.

"The only thing that got into me is the realization that I'm the only one who can stand up for me and make a difference for my future. For your information, J-John has done nothing but help me. Something you haven't done. W-when will you realize that we're not friends, Nattie?"

Nattie was taken aback. "Not…friends? What are you talking about? I did a hell of a lot for you, we're best friends, Shay."

"N-no, we come from the same family, Nattie. T-there's a difference, you grew accustomed to me over the years, j-just like TJ and DH. You didn't befriend me and learn who I was, y-you just sat by and became used to me. J-Jay, Chris, and Adam…they are my friends. Matt, Shane, Shannon, Jeff, Randy, Ted, Cody…John." Shay gestured as she spoke, "_They_ are my friends. And I never see half of them, b-but I know they still care. N-Nattie, we have nothing in common and I'm sorry, but…"

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I ever wasted my time trying to be nice to you."

"Oh, save it, Nat. Just…stop. I-I already how you roll your eyes at me behind my back, nothing bad you say about me will affect me because I'm expecting it." Shay simplified, putting her hands up to silence the other Canadian woman.

Nattie shook her head. "I don't even know you anymore."

Shay replied stoically. "You never knew me." Then, she walked out of catering as Nattie stalked off in the other direction, being followed by TJ and DH. I followed Shay, seeing her enter a locker room. Entering that same locker room, I shut the door behind me, locking it to give us some privacy.

Shay's back was to me and I was about to walk closer when she turned around to face me. She walked closer and wrapped her arms around my waist as she rested her head on my shoulder. "Shay?"

"Y-yeah?"

"What happened back there, it wasn't…"

"N-no, it wasn't a personality switch. I-I'm still the same Shay I was yesterday." She smiled sweetly and I couldn't help but smile back.

"That's good." I leaned in, wanting to kiss her as my mind flashed back to New Year's Eve. As soon as I was inches away from her, a loud knock came on the door.

"John, you're up next for the rumble!" A stagehand yelled through the door. I growled and unlocked the door.

"J-John, we do have to get going." She smiled slightly as I walked with her to the curtain.

_*Shay POV*_

I smiled as Adam walked back through the curtain. He had just won the Royal Rumble. Running up to him, I threw my arms around him and hugged him. His arms went around my waist and he swung me around before stopping. "Congrats Adam!"

"Thanks Shay." He chuckled as he put one arm around my waist and shook John's hand with his free hand and did the same with Chris. "You two did great out there too."

"Thanks." Chris rolled his eyes and stood on my other side before putting an arm over my shoulders.

"Oh look, it's the three musketeers." John chuckled. "If only Jay were here, then we'd have a party."

"Well, Johnny Boy, ask and you shall receive." Jay laughed as he bounded past John. Adam moved and Jay took his place, putting an arm around my waist. Adam; who towered over all of us, put one arm over both Jay and Chris' shoulders before resting his chin on my head.

"You wanna know what I see?" Adam asked.

"A great view of Shay's cleavage?" Jay joked and Adam slapped him upside the head as I elbowed him.

"No, I see the world's most compatible tag team! The team of Edge, Chris Jericho, Christian, and Shay! They'll call us something cool, like…"

"Probably Northern Exposure since all of you are from the frozen tundra known as Canada." John rolled his eyes and I laughed. He raised an eyebrow. "You laughed."

"I-It's not impossible for me." I shrugged as best I could with all the guys around me.

"I know." He stated and we walked out of the arena and onto the sidewalk, walking to the restaurant down the street. Adam and Jay hoisted me up on their shoulders and Chris walked beside John, muttering something about 'spotting me in case I fell' .

"So, are you feeling better after your explosion in catering?" Chris asked and I narrowed my eyes at him. Instantly, Adam and Jay stopped and set me down.

"What 'explosion?'"

"Shay smacked the pretty right off of Dave's face, not that he had much to begin with, but…" Chris trailed off. "She stood up for herself, and she cursed, she just showed her angry side. Granted she has like three sides to her." Chris shrugged.

"Three?" I asked.

"Yeah, there's Really Shy Shay, a.k.a the one everybody else sees, then we have Angry Shay, which no soul should ever have to see and we have my personal favorite, Shay-Shay; the side only we see. The beautiful, strong, independent, peaceful and charming; among other things, Shay."

I chuckled. "And it's great b-being around people who actually know me." I smiled as John put an arm around my shoulder. I looked around at the men beside me, the three blondes and one brunette. They were the ones who stood beside me, caught me when I fell, both literally and figuratively, they were the ones who protected me and cared about me.

They were my safety nets and safe havens, my warm and safe retreats; and with them was where I belonged. I was finally where I belonged.


	18. The Past

**Here's UA!!! Just so you all know, I had surgery on Monday. It was minor and you canc heck out my profile for more info about that. I'm fine and ready to get back into typing:) Anyways, thank you to my superb beta-reader Angel. We always find a way to coat each other with documents, yet get it all read and sent back on time. Kudos to you, Hun, I wouldn't be the author I am today without you:) I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers, this story wouldn't be what it is without all of you. I only own Shay and please read, review and enjoy:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

Smiling, I hugged John as we got back through the curtain. "Great job out there, John." He chuckled as his arms went around my waist. "Y-you did great."

"Thanks, I get a one-way ticket to the Elimination Chamber, where I'm locked in a metal cage with five other men who want it as badly as I do."

"O-on the bright side, you could win the World Heavyweight Championship."

"Well, on the downside, I'm locked in a metal cage, also known as Satan's Structure, among other nicknames that don't exactly assure an image of safekeeping and tranquility. I'm locked in a steel cage with the Undertaker, I'm locked in a steel cage with five other men, most of who wouldn't mind bashing my head in against the wall, and did I mention I'm locked in a steel cage?"

I shrugged. "O-once or twice." I smiled as I put a hand on his shoulder. "A-and you forgot the two miles of chain."

He sighed and shook his head with a smile. "I like this, you know, talk we're having. It's more…personal than most of our other ones."

I nodded, knowing what he meant. "Y-you're my friend, this is how I talk to my friends."

"So if the entire WWE was your friend then you'd act like this more often?"

"W-well, the entire WWE is most certainly not my friend, so I couldn't exactly say what I would or wouldn't do. B-besides, I kinda just naturally talk to my friends so easily, it's p-partially letting people know that once you get to know me, you start to earn actually seeing me for who I am." I stated and he nodded.

"And we have our own personal little surprise. Like, five weeks from now, we could say 'Yeah, this is what you've all been missing' when we get to see it every day." John chuckled and I nodded.

"Yeah, l-like that. Hey, have you seen Chris?"

He seemed a little taken aback that I had asked for Chris but nodded. "Yeah, he's in catering last time I saw him."

I nodded and gave him a quick hug before exiting the room and walking down the hall. As I was walking, my foot got caught on something and I braced myself for the fall. When it didn't come, my eye cracked open and once I saw the flash of dark brown eyes, my eyes snapped open. I was staring into the face of my past, one of the many doors that led to years of despair and pain.

He smirked, eyes glistening as he remember the past. Even he had remembered, keeping the memory locked into the back of his mind, only coming out when he wanted some entertainment. It had been my main role for him when we were together; entertainment. I always 'humored' him, causing him to laugh with an obnoxious roar that faded into insult as he'd shake his head and walk away. It was like that for about a year, trying to stay out of his way and keep his temper under control. 'Trying' being the main operative word in that sentence. I always ended up making him angry somehow, and as a result, I always found myself in pain.

The man who caught me chuckled and set me upright, keeping his hands on my waist. Smirking again, he leaned in and kissed my cheek before tightening his grip on my waist and whispering in my ear. "You really should keep your mouth shut, Shay." He stopped talking as he nuzzled my neck and kissed it. "I want you back, Shay. I'm better than all the rest and I promise I'll change."

I shook my head as chills ran up and down my spine. Not the good kind; the creepy, freaked out chills that just warned me that something bad was going to happen. "You…you won't change." His smile faded as he pushed me against the wall. One of his arms encircled around my waist, pulling me close to him and keeping me locked in place. The other hand brushed a lock of hair from my face and held my chin in his hand.

"I promise…" He murmured as the hand on my chin dropped to ghost his fingers up and down my arm. "C'mon, Shay. We had a lot of fun." He leaned in again to kiss my forehead.

"N-no, you had the fun, tormenting me." I stated and he raised an eyebrow.

"You loved me." He stated back.

"T-that was then, this is now."

"Shay." His voice brought back pain and suffering. "The past is the past, the potential that the future holds is what's important, and I think we could have a future together." He reasoned, his lips brushing against my neck.

"No."

I could feel his arms clench and he looked into my eyes, rage glimmering beneath his irises. "Excuse me?"

"D-Dave, I said no."

He smirked again. "Well, let's see if I can change your mind." Before I could respond, he crashed his lips against mine, in a slow, yet rough kiss. My mind froze, wanting to react, wanting to push him away and run off, away from him. Dave's hand slid up to cup my face, and I silently prayed that somebody I knew would come. Struggling to get away, I squirmed and Dave growled and stopped for a second. "I never remembered you being able to deny me."

"L-Like I said before, that was then, this is now." I stated as stonily as my voice would allow. Dave gripped my wrist and pinned me to the wall.

"I let you go back then, but I won't let you go now." He pressed his lips to mine again. I heard footsteps, three sets of them to be exact before I saw two people tear Dave away from me. Falling to the floor, the third person caught me in their arms.

"Shay?" The voice asked and I recognized at once who it was. It was either that or the unmistakable tan and rich dark brown hair. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and, gripping onto his shoulders, stood up. Adam and Chris were holding back Dave, who's smirk had finally faded. "I see," he shook his head. "Your little boyfriends are saving you now?" He scoffed. "Whatever, you'll be back with me in no time." With that, he yanked free of Adam and Chris's grip before stalking off down the hall. Adam and Chris turned to look at me, looks of concern flashing across their faces. Coming closer, Chris put an arm around my shoulders.

"Shay." He murmured, stroking my hair.

Adam shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "I thought this was all over." He muttered. John sighed.

"What's going on?" He asked, and I remembered he still didn't know too much about my past. Adam looked at me, as did Chris, and I nodded. Adam nodded as well and led us into his locker room and we all sat down around the coffee table.

John tapped his fingers against the table's surface. "First the incident with Nick, now with Dave, people are making references to your past, I want to know what's going on."

"J-John, you w-won't be happy…"

"I don't care if I'm happy or not, Shay. You were put in danger tonight and I want to know the story behind it." He stated and I jumped, startled. "Shay, Shay….I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I just…want to know."

"Okay…" I trailed off and Adam put an arm around my shoulders. "I-It's about time I told you anyways. See here, I used to date Nick…and Dave." Chris took my hand in his. "A-and they weren't exactly the most…perfect boyfriends out there. I-I dated Nick during his Spirit Squad days, until he was released. I-I don't even know how he even got i-interested in me, I was just as shy then as I am now. Anyways, he asked me out one night and I said yes, after all, e-everybody deserves a chance and I didn't have any friends, so I did go on a date. He was the sweetest guy, h-he was a gentleman, being polite and courteous a-and all. T-then it went downhill after a few months. He'd be angry a lot, the sl-slightest things I'd do would set him off. M-most of the time it was just yelling and s-screaming."

"Most of the time." John murmured, his eyes clouded with sorrow and the slight reflections of pain. His body was stiff, rigid as he held his face in his hand with his arms resting against his knees.

His eyes directly landed on mine as he soaked in my words so far. Slow, deep breaths eased from his lips as his body shuddered with anger. Running a hand over his face, he awaited my response.

"H-He never hit me, J-John. He'd lock me in the house to make sure I didn't leave. I-I dated him until his release, t-then he broke up with me, telling me that I-I wasn't worth it anymore."

John nodded, jaw clenched as he locked his hands together, trying to contain his anger. Adam had his arm around me as he nodded, urging me to go as far as I felt like. "Where does Dave fit into this?" His voice was different; cold and had an edge of ruthlessness that lined his words. He was getting angry and was so desperately trying to hide it in front of me.

After dating both Dave and Nick, I could sense anger and frustration easily, as if it surrounded the person as an aura, visible as the clothes on their back, or the tint of their irises, the way they walked, talked and breathed. It was all clear as day.

"A-after a few months, Dave took an interest in me. I-I remember, it was in catering, there wasn't anything left and I was starving. Dave offered to take me out and I said yes. I-I know I'm an idiot, but I was blind then. I just wanted to be a-acknowledged and loved. Dave made me feel that way. He'd hold me, kiss me and let me know that he'd be there for me in all the ways Nick wasn't. I-I fell for him. B-by then months had passed and he had been so gentle and kind that I felt at ease. T-then I made him angry. I-I can't even remember why. I may have forgotten to call him, or misplaced his shirt. A-and he lashed out, he started yelling at me a-and I tried to apologize. At first, he'd apologize for yelling and it would all be normal again for a day or so, until I upset him again." I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to try and suppress tears. "H-he was unlike Nick in only one way, N-Nick never hit me until before New Year's. D-Dave hit me."

"How often." John asked, voice barely above a whisper, trying to depress the anger and cover it.

"E-every time I'd make him angry." I replied.

"How often was that?"

"T-two, sometimes three days a week." I replied again. "The first few times he apologized and promised i-it'd never happen again. It always did though. O-one time he put me in the hospital when I used the 'wrong t-tone' with him. He'd promise he'd make me pay every time I did something he deemed was w-wrong. Simple mistakes like m-misplacing something, or n-not knowing he was going to be somewhere, or if I-I got in late and he didn't know where I had been, they all set him off. I-I tried to deny that I was in danger, I tried to tell people that I only got what w-was coming to me, or that he wasn't doing anything at all. I-I got sent back into my shell because of him." The tears flowed freely now and John's eyes softened at my tears.

"What was the worst time?"

"W-when I told Adam, Chris, and Jay. T-they got Matt, and J-Jeff and they went and beat him up. T-the day after he blamed me and sent me to the hospital w-with four broken ribs, a f-fractured wrist, a bl-black eye and a sprained ankle." I stated and John let out a breath he was holding. He was still trying to constrain his anger when I knew he was two seconds away from getting up, leaving the room, and attacking Dave and Nick.

"When did this happen?"

"Everything was healed a-and unnoticeable. I-I had taken a couple months off and my wrist had finished h-healing the week I started talking to you. I-I was late for that meeting because I was being checked by the trainer and being m-medically cleared to get back in the ring."

"You healed six months ago? Did you two break up?"

"Y-yes, when he attacked me he told me it was over and that I-I'd be lost without him. Both Nick and he told me that, and they were b-both wrong." I ran a hand through my hair as John did the same and tried to even out his breathing.

_*John POV*_

This was why. This was why she had a tough time with trust, why she only felt one-hundred percent comfortable around Adam, and Chris, and Jay. This was why she was so weary of me and her other coworkers. She had only been out of harm's way for six months. Six short months that I had gotten close to her.

I felt like crap for pushing her all those times, pushing and pushing her to tell me something when what she was hiding was way too painful to remember. Still, she stuck with me. Was she afraid of me? This was why she freaked out when I hurt Nick. She was afraid I'd do that to her. I gripped my hands together, arms locked and jaw clenched. I would never hurt her and the very thought of her doubting that shocked me.

I needed to release my anger, the anger that had bubbled up and boiled within me when she mentioned what they had done to her. If I exploded right now, she surely wouldn't trust me anymore. "I…I have to go." I ducked out of the room before my anger took a hold of me. Taking a few deep breaths, I left the arena and went back to my hotel room, laying on the bed. As I stared into the ceiling, I felt my rage settle, I could deal with it in the morning. Right now I was worried about Shay.

She had been through so much, so much that I didn't know about. The pain, the suffering, the broken trust. Yet she had trusted me, she put her trust in me and I realized that her trust is sacred, like the finest gems found only in certain places. Shay never told you if she trusted you. You found that out on your own, whether it be the way she looks at you, or the way she links her arm with yours, or the way she'd gradually let you in so you could see the real Shay, see her flawless beauty and hear her laughter.

This was part of the reason she was shy, with all the crap Dave and Nick had put her through. The rest of the business didn't even know, and I'm pretty sure if they did, she wouldn't be treated so…horribly. Nick and Dave. The two sickened me with the way they could pick her apart and destroy her physically and mentally. It was wrong, stupid and absolutely disgusting. My mind clouded with all the things, all the painful and hurtful things I wanted to do to them and I fell into a restless, troubled sleep.


	19. I Love You

**Hello everybody! Here's another chappy of UA!!!!YAYYYY!lol. Anyways, I only own Shay, nobody else. Plus thank you Angel for beta-reading and thank you my readers/reviewers for reading, reviewing and enjoying the story. Sorry the chappy is so short, but I'm sure you uys will like it:)lol. So please read, review and enjoy:)**_

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_*John POV*_

When I woke up, I glanced over at the other bed. Shay was lying in it, her hair splayed over the pillow. The soft glow of the rising sun fell on her face, illuminating her golden tresses and soft skin. Anger soon set in, remembering what she had told me the day before. It coursed through me and I clenched my fists. She hadn't deserved any of what happened to her, yet she was pushed and forced through it.

Getting up, I ran my hands through my hair. I needed to get my anger out. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, I quickly scrawled out a note for her before setting it on the nightstand where she was sure to see it. Grabbing my duffel bag, I slipped on my shoes, put my hair in a bun and left the hotel room.

_*Shay POV*_

When I woke up, John wasn't there. Immediately, I was worried he had done something drastic. I was about to grab my phone and call him when I noticed the note on the nightstand. Curious, I picked it up. It was in John's handwriting:

**Shay,**

**Good morning, I'm at the gym down the street, don't worry, I'm not doing anything drastic. I'll see you later. **

**John.**

My eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion before I got up and threw on my coat and shoes before heading out the door. Walking through the hotel hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief. John was at the gym, working out. He wasn't doing anything harmful to Nick or Dave. Or was he? The gym thing could be a cover up. But I needed to trust him, he had been so good to me for months, never faulting. I couldn't shut him out like I did everybody else.

Exiting through the lobby, I quickly found the gym and entered. John wasn't hard to find. Amidst the weight-lifting Undertaker, Kane and Triple H, the rope-jumping Rey, and the few Superstars who were on treadmills or doing other aspects of their work-out plans; John was at the back, going back and forth between to punching bags that hung from the ceiling. Approaching him, my foot caught on the mat and I fell forward. Grabbing one of the bags, I held on and braced myself, steadying my balance.

"Hey, you okay?" John asked, throwing another punch at the bag.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Just peachy." John growled, swiftly kicking one bag before sending a backhanded blow to the other.

"You seem…a-angry."

"I found out my best friend was…was…harmed by people I thought were my friends. That doesn't have a positive effect on my mood." He was panting as he sent more blows to the bags. I bit my lip and put my hands in the pockets of my jeans.

"A-and these are the inanimate objects you u-unleash your wrath upon?"

"Would you rather have me attack them personally?" He asked, still focused on striking the bags.

I shuddered at the thought. "N-no, the bags are…s-sufficient."

"Good to know that this plan of action is satisfactory for you."

"T-the last time…I o-overreacted." I sighed, glancing at him as he continued to lash out on the bags. I was glad that nobody was paying attention to us, yet again, I wasn't exactly the most attention-grabbing person.

"It's understandable, considering what had happened. By the way," He stopped attacking and stopped the bags with his hands. "I named them."

"Y-you named the punching bags?" I asked and he nodded with a small smile.

"This one's Nick." He patted the one on his right. "And this one's Dave." He patted the other one. "You wanna have a go at 'em?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "N-no thanks, thanks for asking though."

"Hey, Sunshine." John stated. "Do you…wanna go for a walk. There's something I need to say."

I nodded, perplexed. "S-sure." I smiled and he grinned back at me before nodding and grabbing his duffel bag before retreating into the shower area. Walking around, I settled on a bench.

As people realized I was there, they were more interested in me. "You think that your little explosion at the Rumble would change your status here?" Michelle asked with a scoff.

"N-no, I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I knew it wouldn't c-change anything." I stated. She looked like she was about to say something else when John appeared, looking refreshed and clean. He smiled and put an arm around my shoulder as he led me out of the gym on onto the sidewalk. We walked in silence until we neared the park. "So, what did you need to tell me?"

He sighed, as if he were contemplating everything. "I'm happy, Shay."

"W-what?"

"I'm happy, I'm calm and collected. I feel like I'm actually worth something, and that I'm more than just the guy with the looks. I feel important in the way that my job could never make me feel. I feel like there's nobody else around and that I could just melt in an eternal cloud of bliss."

"U-um, okay? I-I'm not quite sure I understand."

John stopped and sighed. "When I'm around you Shay, I feel the way I described before. I feel like I'm truly welcomed and that I'm just a normal person. With you, there's no closed-mindedness. You accept people for who they are, not just their status in society."

I shook my head, confused. "J-john, I have no idea where this is going."

"You're beautiful, you could have anything you could ever want, yet you choose to just be yourself and not choose the easy way out. You're strong, gorgeous and so damn close to perfect that it hurts." His voice tightened and almost wavered.

"John?" I looked at him, confused and having barely any sense of where it was going. Part of me believed he could be playing a joke, but knowing John, he wouldn't. The other part believed that he was telling me he loved me. Both cases were highly unlikely.

"I know this may be too soon for you, but I need to say it. Shay…" He trailed off as he faced me and held my chin in his hand. "I know you might not feel the same way, but it needs to be said." He leaned in and kissed me, softly and gently. Breaking apart, he whispered the three words that made my heart stop. "I love you."


	20. Reciprocation

**Hello, here's yet another chappy of UA! Thank you my fabulous beta-reading e-sista, Angel and to all my reviewers! I only own Shay and please go check out my poll on my profile:) Please read, review, and enjoy, thanks:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

I gazed up at John in shock. His hand still held my chin, but seeing my gaze, he sheepishly dropped it. My mind grasped for words, trying to find my voice, but nothing came. The words surprised me, stunned me into utter silence and hesitance. I didn't know what to do.

Part of me told me to turn and walk away, leaving him there. That part of me screamed to reject him, push him away and slide back into my reclusive shell. My head, my common sense wondered if this could even be reality. Things like this happened to me, only to melt into turmoil and pain. This same thing happened every single time. I'd fall in love, only to get hurt and my heart just couldn't take anymore. Dave had been the last straw and I swore I'd cut myself off from men and romance completely.

Yet, the other part of me told me otherwise. My heart wanted to be loved, and he had said just that; that he loved me. I wanted to believe him, and deep inside I did, but the past clouded my judgment. Doesn't history always repeat itself? Deep inside me, I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. He attacked people who did hurt me, he defended me and stood by me through a lot. But was 'a lot' enough? I wanted to be happy and I believed that I could be happy with John, but I had never been lucky to get good guys as boyfriends, why should now be any different?

"Shay?" John's voice brought me back to reality. We were standing outside in the park, the cold February wind breezing past us, dragging a chill with it. I realized I had been silent for a few moments while he stood there, awaiting my response. As I opened my mouth to speak, someone called out to me.

"Shay!" I recognized the voice and turned to see Jay waving as he walked with a woman beside him. She was about five-five, her rich brown hair had grown out long enough for her to twist it up into a messy bun, her side-fringe bangs hanging by her face and with a swift hand motion, she swept it behind her ear. Lime green and silver streaks snaked through her locks, a signature for her. Her eyes sparkled as she chuckled at something Jay had said. Even from where I was standing, I could see the cartilage piercing and nose stud.

Her outfit didn't surprise me either. She wore gray skinny jeans tucked into leather boots that went over her knees and buckled up along the side. Her shirt was covered by the black coat she was wearing. The coat may have covered her shirt, but it didn't cover the sling that held her left arm up and parallel to the ground. Still, she was smiling and laughing as Shane caught up with them and put an arm around her waist.

The trio approached us and Jay chuckled. "Look who decided to stop by."

"Cori." I sighed with content as I hugged her. John looked dejected as he sighed and stepped back. "W-what brings you here?"

"Well, I called Vince and told him that I felt better and he said that even though I couldn't wrestle, he'd have me doing some backstage interviews on Smackdown. So, we'll be seeing each other for a long time." She explained, her British accent wafting through her words. It sort of reminded me that out of the three of us, Isabella, Cori, and I; Isabella was the only U.S. born. Cori hailed originally from England and I from Canada.

"T-that's awesome!" I smiled as I hugged Jay and Shane. "It's been a while since w-we've had any time to hang out."

"I know! We'll have to put a stop to that as soon as possible. Although, I'm not sure how far I can go on my leash. Shane guards me like vicious animal would it's territory."

"I have liable reasons." Shane stated and she shrugged.

"It wouldn't kill you, or me for that matter, for me to have a little fun. At home I'm guarded by him, and ever since I got here, Jay and Shane were glued to my hips." Cori sighed. She then noticed John and instantly she smiled. "Was I interrupting something."

As I was about to speak, John shook his head. "No, nothing at all."

I glanced away from him, but Cori caught it. "So, Shay, darling, let's go hang out."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "With who?"

"With us." Cori stated, gesturing to herself and I. "I'm a big girl, Shane." She smirked at her boyfriend, who sighed, giving away his defeat.

"Fine, just be careful." Shane warned and Cori smiled and kissed him softly before pulling away. "Always am, love." Then she hooked her arm with mine and walked beside me on the sidewalk. As soon as we were out of earshot of the guys, she smiled. "Ever since I was shot, Shane thinks the world is a big, bad scary place that's out to get me and that I need to live in a protective bubble." She chuckled.

"I-It's great to see you again, Cori. You look great."

"Considering I could've died, I won't be able to wrestle for a few months, and that I haven't seen anything but North Carolina for like, two months." Cori scoffed. "I hate being cooped up all the time. Shane knows that, why does he keep me cooped up like a chicken?"

"W-well, he loves you. He's scared that he c-could lose you at any second." I shrugged as we entered a café and took a seat in a booth in the back. A waitress came by and realizing my hunger, I ordered a crepe with apple filling and a cup of hot chocolate. Cori ordered a crepe with strawberry filling and a cup of hot chocolate too. As the waitress walked away, Cori sighed.

"Are you okay, Shay?" She asked, worry and concern dripping from her words.

"Y-yeah. Why w-wouldn't I be?"

"What was with you and John?

"H-he's my friend." I stated and her eyebrow rose.

"A friend? That's great, sweetie." She smiled.

"H-he's great, he's sweet, s-smart, kind…" I trailed off and a smile crossed my face.

Cori grinned. "You like him. I mean you really like him." Her smile faded and she bit her lip. "Does he know?"

"Y-yeah, he does." I nodded. "I told him, y-yesterday."

Cori sighed again and as our orders came, she quietly began eating until the waitress left again. "Jay told me about what Nick did to you before New Year's…It hasn't been that long since Dave…"

"W-we're not dating." I clarified.

"But you want to date him. I can see it." She smirked, knowing. "You're afraid, aren't you, honey?" She asked. I bit into my crepe and sighed.

"I-I really don't know, Cori. H-he's a great guy, and I really care a-about him. B-but I've been in two back-to-back b-bad relationships, I don't want to risk a third."

"I know, sweetie." Cori put a hand on mine. "What were you two talking about before though?"

"H-he told me he loved me."

Cori gasped. "What did you say?"

"I d-didn't say anything, I was afraid and s-stunned into silence. Y-you came by when I was about to tell him."

"Tell him what?" Cori asked.

"I-I was about to tell him that I loved him too, a-and that I wanted to be with him." I replied as tears pricked my eyes. "H-he probably hates me now, I left him h-hanging…" I stood up. "I-I gotta go, Cor. I'll t-talk to you later." I stated as I walked out the door of the restaurant and back to the gym.

_*John POV*_

"What were you and Shay talking about?" Jay asked, just as Adam and Chris approached. We were in the gym's juice bar, sitting at a table.

"Nothing."

"Liar." He frowned. "C'mon spill."

"I think she hates me. I sprung something on her and it was too early. Now she hates me."

"John." Chris shook his head. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her I loved her, and she didn't say anything." I stated, running a hand through my hair.

"You told Shay you loved her? After what happened yesterday?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, I know, I'm an idiot, but I needed to tell her."

"John…" Chris trailed off as the door opened. I looked up to see Shay walking towards us and instantly, I stood as she got closer.

"Shay." I began. Adam, Jay, Chris and Shane looked back and forth between her and I. "What are you doing?"

She stood right in front of me now, her eyes sparkling under the light. "I-I'm doing what I should've done earlier, J-John."

"I'm s-"

"D-don't be." She whispered as she leaned up and kissed me. The world faded away at the touch of her lips against mine. Her lips tasted faintly of apples and hot chocolate and it seemed like nobody was around. Fireworks crackled and went off and as she pulled away, I couldn't help but stare directly into her eyes.

The icy-blueish green orbs shone with love, affection and happiness. Her hands were on my shoulders and as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me, she whispered the words I longed to hear.

"I love you too."


	21. Freedom

**Ladies and gentlemen of FanFic I present to you...another chappy of Unlikely Attractions! Thank you Angel for beta-reading this and thank you my readers/reviewers, you are all truly awesome! I only own Shay and please read, review and enjoy! Oh and I took down my poll and edited it, then reposted it so please go and vote, I would really appreciate it and thank you to anybody who has voted so far, now onto the story!:)**_

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_*Shay POV*_

As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, I dashed back into the trainer's room. As I burst through the door, my foot caught on the threshold and I tumbled forward towards the first bed, which coincidentally held John. Grabbing the rim, I saved myself from tumbling all the way to the ground. Instead, I lay in an awkward heap, my legs tangled beneath me and my arms clinging to the edge of the examination table John was laying on.

He sat up, wincing as he moved his leg wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" I asked, regaining my balance. "J-john, you're okay." I smiled as I hugged him. I could sense him smiling back.

"Yeah, it takes a lot to keep me down." As it turns out, the trainer's room must've been confused with some sort of council room, either that, or people were being extremely clumsy these days. Adam was on one table, Ron on another, and Rey on one as well. They were also the other three Superstars that had their fair share of being laid out and beaten upon today.

"Y-you're all okay, right?" I asked, biting my lip. "I-I just wish I could've been down there with you, R-Ron, R-Rey…"

"Don't worry about it, chica. " Rey smiled warmly, pulling off his mask.

"Besides, the way they were pulling us in the ring, we wouldn't want to risk you." Ron stated.

"T-thanks, but I could've handled myself. P-Phil isn't that big of a deal, Serena, w-well she isn't really a Diva, and L-Luke…he'd be more worried about checking on P-Phil than anything." I sighed.

"Shay, thanks, but we have this."

"J-John, I just don't want you in that Elimination Chamber, e-especially if your ankle really is hurt. Y-You could barely walk and…"

"Hush." He stated, putting his hands on my hips. "I'm fine. I'm made of cast iron, well, my abs are, but that's beside the point." He smiled and I couldn't help but chuckle. "See? I got you to smile." John chuckled.

"Y-yeah." I tucked a strand of blond hair behind my ear. That's when I noticed Ron looking at me. "Y-yes, Ron?"

He just shook his head and smiled. "You have very pretty eyes, Shay."

John glared as I blushed. "Ron," John sighed.

"Hey, she does have pretty eyes. And I like the way she dresses." He smiled and I blushed deeper, crossing my arms over my chest. Was there something wrong with what I was wearing? I was wearing a white, off-the shoulder long sleeved top and dark denim jeans with my gray fuzzy boots that actually weren't Uggs. "It's very relaxed, not too much to distract us from you."

"U-Um, thanks." I smiled weakly as John rolled his eyes and shifted as the trainer came back in. He seemed surprised to see me.

"Oh, hello Ms. Hart. How's your father?"

I cringed, but quickly smoothed it over with a smile. "He's fine, it was a storyline."

"I see, I just heard rumors and all…So, John, you are free to go, as are the rest of you. Do any of you need a ride back to the hotel?"

"No, it's good. Shay can drive us." Adam chuckled, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Isn't that right, buddy?"

"C-call me buddy one more time." I threatened as soon as we were out of earshot.

"We're just glad you came." John said, leaning against the wall. Sighing, I reached for my bag next to the door and grabbed the pair of crutches next to it before handing them to John. He looked at them curiously before glancing back at me.

Ron did too. "why would you need crutches?"

"I-It was from an injury a long time ago, I-I never got rid of them, just in case." I explained as we made our way down the hall and through the parking garage. As we got to my car, I sighed. "D-Do you guys wanna stop and eat?" As everybody nodded, I did too and hopped into the driver's seat. John claimed shotgun while Rey sat in the way back and Ron and Adam shared the middle seats. "W-where to, gentlemen?"

They gave me a local restaurant's name and I found it before pulling into the parking lot and leading the group inside. The waitress smiled and nodded as she saw us, a huge smile crossing her features.

"Oh my gosh, it's R-Truth, John Morrison, Rey Mysterio _and _Adam Copeland." She squealed with a grin as if having all four of them in one spot at the same time was unusual. It was actually quite common, considering they were all friends on some level. It just made me all the more happier that Matt didn't pop up and tag along, _then_ we'd have an issue.

As if on cue, Matt showed up, with Maria walking in right behind us and almost bumping into Rey. He quickly apologized and the waitress saw him. Her eyes lit up once again and I bit my lip, wanting nothing more than to get a seat. "Oh my gosh, it's Matt Hardy and Maria Kanellis."

Matt nodded and smiled, "Table for seven."

"Seven, I only see…oh." her eyes fell on me as she counted us in her head. "My apologies, you're a valet, am I correct?"

"Actually, she's a Diva." John stated. The waitress just nodded and led us to a table in the back, muttering something under her breath about 'never seeing her before.' As soon as the waitress had taken our orders for beverages and walked out of earshot, John rolled his eyes. "I cannot believe that she didn't recognize you. You're glued to my hip wherever I go, or Adam's hip, or Chris's hip, sporadically Matt's hip."

"I just can't believe she thought you were a valet." Adam shook his head. "Thank God John corrected her before she guessed a ring rat, or something worse."

"I-It's okay, guys. Chill out." I replied as our drinks came. I was sitting at the end of the table, across from Maria and next to John. Again, after the waitress left with our orders, a group of teenagers approached. They were squealing girls of about sixteen and they were freaking out from being in the presence of the men at our table, and Maria. They sent around a pad of paper for us to sign and it stopped at me. I was about to sign it when one of the teens stopped me. I almost smiled until one of them pointed at me and said.

"Hey, Natalya, why'd you change your hair."

I froze. Everyone at the table froze. "I-I'm not Natalya."

They frowned, disappointed. "Oh, then I guess we don't need your autograph. Do you even work for the WWE?"

"Yes." I stated, gesturing to John. "I'm his tag team partner s-sometimes, and I-I'm out there almost e-every week." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw John trying not to look angry.

"Oh." They shrugged.

"And if you were actually fans of ours, you'd know that she is one of our best friends and means a lot to us so your disrespect and inaccurate knowledge simply proves you don't give a damn about us, you only think we're hot." Adam frowned. "Now if you don't mind, thank you for stopping by, we appreciate your support, but we'd like to spend the rest of our evening in peace."

The group walked away, leaving the restaurant and I rested my head in my hands. "A-Adam if that winds up on TMZ…"

"It won't." He stated and I sighed. "Shay, are you okay?"

"O-of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I still can't believe nobody's recognizing you." Ron frowned.

"I-I'm used to it, I don't really d-do much on TV…"

"Still, it's rude." Maria sighed. "Do you want to leave?"

"N-no, I'm fine." I smiled weakly as our food came. As we were in the middle of eating, I heard a table behind us talking.

"I can't believe we're this close to famous people." Somebody 'whispered'. They were talking loud enough for our table to hear.

"I know, they're my favorite. Except that blond chick. Her name's on the tip of my tongue…I can't remember it." He turned around to look at me. "Excuse me, Miss?"

"Y-yeah?" I asked.

"You're a Hart right? Bret's daughter?"

I nodded and he thanked me before going back to his conversation.

"Oh yeah, she's a Hart."

"Probably got the job that way." The other man stated.

John was fuming and I could swear I could see smoke. Matt rolled his eyes, Rey just shook his head, Adam was preoccupying himself so he wouldn't jump the table and attack them. Ron's mouth hung open slightly and Maria scoffed. "Honey." Maria sighed. "We should leave."

"Is this an everyday thing?" Ron asked incredulously.

"A-almost." I replied and he shook his head.

"Well I've had enough of it." John stated. The table behind us was still talking.

"At least she's hot. Smoking hot. I wonder if I pay her enough…" Yeah, that's what set it off.

John, Ron, Matt and Adam all turned in their seats.

"Excuse me, but could you please keep it down. We can hear everything you're saying."

"Everything?" The men asked in unison and the guys nodded. The two looked worried and quickly shut up.

"Thanks." Adam scoffed as the waitress came by. "We'll need our check now, please." She nodded and quickly set off. Standing, I slid on my coat, as did Maria.

"Shay and I are going to get a head start to the hotel, hope you guys don't mind."

"Go right ahead. We'll meet you there." John smiled as he hugged me and whispered into my ear. "Love you."

"Love you too." I whispered back and Maria and I left. She insisted on driving and when we got back to my hotel room, she asked if she could stay for a little while. I nodded and we sat on my bed. "I-Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "I was just…appalled by how they treated you."

"I-it's worse in bars." I stated. "That's why I don't go out much. T-that and my complete l-lack of dancing skills and s-social skills."

"You make up for it in individuality. I mean, you're breaking away from being 'just another Hart.' I can see the t-shirts now. Or even better, the documentary. 'Shay Hart: Live Your Own Legacy'."

I chuckled. "I-I like it."

"We should have a day where you and I can just hang out. Hey, why don't you travel with Matt, Ron and I for the next couple weeks?" She asked just as John walked in. "Hey John, can Shay travel with Matt and I for a little while?"

John looked at me and I shrugged, then he smiled. "She doesn't need my permission." I smiled as he put an arm over my shoulders.

"Y-Yeah, I'd love to travel with you and Matt." Matt walked in and smirked.

"We are so going to kick it old school." He laughed and I rolled my eyes. "It'll be you, me, Ron, Maria and the open road."

"J-john, are you sure you don't mind?"

"If you want to, I can't hold you back." John smiled and I jumped up and hugged him.

_*John POV*_

I was surprised when Shay hugged me. Was it so unusual that I had let her do something? I sent Matt a confused look and he mouthed 'controlling boyfriends' and I nodded in understanding. "Thanks, John." She smiled as she let go and backed up to stand next to Matt. "I'll see Shane again, and probably Shannon and Jeff." She listed off and I raised an eyebrow at her lack of stutter. "I-it'll be great. I-I haven't seen them in so long."

"We're leaving early tomorrow." Matt stated and she nodded.

"I-I'm already packed. I-it's getting late, I should probably get to bed." She was still smiling as she grabbed a pair of pajamas and practically skipped to the bathroom, almost tripping on her way. When she was about to fall, she grabbed onto the door handle, did a weird slide that made pro baseball look like child's paly, and pulled the door shut behind her. Chuckling I shook my head as Matt and Maria left and got dressed for bed.

When Shay came back out, she sat on the other bed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Thanks, J-John."

"Like I said before, you can do whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy." I replied. "You've never really had a boyfriend who actually let you have space?"

She shook her head. "N-nick and Dave…" She trailed off and I nodded. Getting up, I sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"Just know that I will never do what Nick and Dave did." I stated. She nodded and I took her chin in my hands, gently tilting her head up to look at me. "Never."

Again she nodded. "I know." She leaned up to kiss my cheek.

And that was all I needed to hear.


	22. Nowhere Near Done

**Here's a chappy of Unlikely Attractions:) I only own Shay, nobody else and I'd like to thank my marvelous and amaing e-sis, Angel for all the advice she has given me for this story and I'd like to than my readers/reviewers for reading and reviewing and stickign with this story. You are all amazing. Anyways, please go vote on my poll, I wanna see what you guys want to read next:) So pelase read,review and most of all, enjoy:)**_

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*Shay POV*

I was biting my lip the entire time John was in that match. With every blow he received, I winced, but cheered every time he got the upper hand. Then, when he was eliminated, I instantly jumped out of my seat, surprising Mickie and Maria who nodded as I dashed out of the room and into the trainer's room. By the time I got there, John wasn't even a round. The trainer took one look at me and shrugged. "Locker room."

I nodded, briskly walking to the Men's locker room before knocking on the door. I heard a groan and the shuffling of steps before the door slid open, revealing John's wincing face. As soon as it opened far enough, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him to me. He staggered back a little, shutting the door as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Thank God you're okay."

"I told you last week I was made of steel." He chuckled, kissing my temple as one hand ran through my hair. John smiled as he sat down on the couch and I sat next to him, my hand in his as I rested my head on his shoulder. "You were worried, weren't you?"

"J-John, your ankle…I."

"Babe, my ankle's fine."

"I-I know, but…" I trailed off before kissing him. "I'm just glad you're okay. Y-you did great out there."

"Really?" His eyebrow rose. "I guess I did do pretty spectacular out there, even if I didn't win. Speaking of winners, aren't you going to congratulate Chris?"

I shook my head. "T-that can wait until later." I stated getting up and around the couch to stand behind him. Putting my hands on his shoulders, I gently massaged them. His eyes shut and for a few moments, there was silence. Leaning over, I kissed his jaw. "A-are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm…I'm…fine." He muttered. He had already changed out of his ring gear into jeans and a t-shirt. I had accompanied him to the ring, but left at his urging. Since then, I had changed into a fitted blue graphic t-shirt and light denim jeans with my black fuzzy boots. I had a black sweatshirt over it that was unzipped enough to show my shirt, put not unzipped completely. "Um, the guys wanted to go out for a celebratory after party. I was wondering if you'd like to come."

"Sure." I smiled and I could sense his eyebrow raising. Twisting his head to look at me, he smiled.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Y-yes, really."

He smiled and got up. "We're going right now, ready?"

"A-Aren't I always?" I chuckled as he and I left the locker room. Walking down the hall, his arm slid around my waist and he glanced at me as if asking my permission. I put my own arm around his waist and nodded before kissing his cheek.

"Shay, are you going to tell your father?"

"H-He'll find out sooner or later. He's n-never really paid much attention to me anyways." I stated. It was true, my dad played a very light role in my life. He was always gone and even when he was there, he was busy nursing minor injures, or training people in the Dungeon while I sat and watched.

"That can't be true."

"T-Trust me, when you're the la-laughing stock of the Hart family, nobody wants to be around you."

"Well." He paused, kissing the top of my head as we exited the arena and entered the chilly St. Louis air. "I want to be around you. You know what? Screw the club, let's take a walk." John stated and I nodded.

"Won't they be upset?"

"They'll get over it." He smiled and led me down the sidewalk. "So, how did you get into the business? I mean, you don't look like the kind of girl who'd wrestle."

"Well, I-I'd watch my dad wrestle and train other guys. I-It was when Adam and Chris were there. T-they each took a liking to me, apparently they saw potential in me. W-whenever dad wasn't around, they'd train me because he didn't want me to get hurt. E-Eventually, dad caught on that something wasn't right when he saw me limping. I came clean about the training and then he officially enrolled me in the Dungeon. T-then in 2000, I j-joined the business. Vince had known me as a child, dad had brought me along sometimes and he knew I was nothing like my father. A-anyway, Vince let me have a job. A couple years later I was sitting ringside while people were sparring and I criticized o-one of them. When he asked me if I could do better, I said yes and proceeded to 's-show him how it's done.'" I stated, using air quotes.

"Who was it?" John asked with a smile.

"Matt and Jeff." I replied and John laughed.

"Wow, I'll have to remind him of that." John chuckled as we came upon a park. Walking with him, I turned to look at him.

"Y-Yeah, Adam never lets him live it down." I chuckled. Apparently since walking isn't a strong point for me, neither is walking _backwards. _I slipped on a patch of ice and squealed in surprise as I started going down. John's arms reached for me, wrapping around my waist and pulling me into his chest just as he slipped on that same patch of ice. We spun a little before backing up and falling back into a mound of snow. We both broke out in laughter and as my eyes locked with his, I fell silent. I had landed on top of him and one of his hands went to brush a lock of hair behind my ear then slipped to cradle my face.

Silence. Silence floated in the air and as I gazed into his eyes, I felt safe. I felt like I was where I belonged and that nothing could bring me down. Right there in that moment and time, the world around me faded into the background until only he and I remained. The cold night hung around us like a dark sheath, its slight breezes sliding across the park, carrying the freshly falling snow with it. Despite the cold around me, John's presence emitted warmth and I melted under his embrace, under his touch. It was like this whenever I was with him, a safe, warm feeling that made my heart skip a beat each and every time he was near.

Fear wasn't there, it was swept away to a far off corner. John was my security, the safe haven that mended my broken heart, meticulously welding the shattered pieces together to try and make it whole again. Some pieces were far too long gone to even consider attempting to put it back in. I had had my heart broken way too many times to have all the pieces of my heart. They had been scattered around, trampled on and stepped on until they were nothing more than splintered and cracked fragments that brought terrible memories from the past. I pushed the thoughts and memories back, forcing myself not to think about it and praying that I would forget even though I knew I wouldn't.

The silence continued and I forced myself back to reality. Smiling, John leaned up and I met him in the middle.

_*John POV*_

Her lips were warm, soft and tasted of honey and as she kissed me back, I felt myself slipping from reality. With her in my arms, everything was alright. She had that calming, soothing affect that could erase any traces of doubt or sorrow, or anger. My fingers slid through her golden blond hair, soft as silk beneath my grasp and rested on her jaw. Her skin was just as soft and beautiful as her hair and smelled faintly of vanilla.

Inhaling her scent, I deepened the kiss and she returned the action. I almost smiled. I had been expecting her to gently push me away, warn me that I had gone too far, but she didn't. The kiss was slow, sensual and I was almost beginning to wonder if she was teasing me. My sweet girl who tasted of honey and smelled of vanilla, who was so tantalizingly sweet that it was damn near irresistible. She was sweet, kind, and reminded me of the moon, a silent guider who doesn't even realize that she is the idol of so many people.

Maybe that was why Vince liked her so much, because she was different. Because she was a refreshing change to the Divas he had been used to. Maybe he had seen the glimmers of sweetness and beauty that I could and knew that she would be the WWE's solace. She certainly was mine, a soft, comforting place to retreat to when the world became too stressful. I had been there for her countless times, and I wasn't exactly sure if she knew how many times she had saved me. Even years ago, when I didn't even know her, I could pass by her in the hall and know that someday, one man would be incredibly lucky to get her and be able to treasure her.

The kiss slowed and we gently broke apart, both left breathless from it. I was about to say something, but decided against it, knowing that whatever I was about to say would come out in a stammered, mumbled jargon. She may not know it, but I can hardly keep my cool around her, I'm worried I'll make a fool out of myself, even though I know she'd hardly notice it.

"We should p-probably get out of the snow." She murmured and I nodded as she stood up and I followed her. My arms went around her waist and she chuckled as she leaned up and looked over my shoulder. "Y-you're covered in snow."

"I know." I smiled, kissing her forehead. "I love you." I stated and looked down at her, almost expecting a repeat of last time. Instead, she just kissed me and smiled.

"Love you too."

Smiling I put an arm around her waist.

"Well, well, well." A voice snickered. "I thought you said you weren't dating? Well, you just can't seem to make up your mind, now can you, Shay?"

We turned around to see Nattie standing there, a scowl etched into her face. "What do you want, Nattie?" I asked.

"Nothing." The blond shrugged. "Just taking a walk. So, you two are dating?" She asked.

"W-What does it matter?" Shay asked back.

"Because, you told me you weren't." Nattie countered. "You are such a liar, Shay, and you're weak. You let yourself sit around in two abusive relationships, then you jump into this one and expect him to be different than all the rest?"

"He won't hurt me." She replied.

"That's what you said about Nick…and Dave, and guess what? You wound up hurt." Nattie stated.

"T-The only reason you cared was because not caring would've been implicating that you didn't like me. That would've been bad for a Hart and a Neidhart to have bad blood. You acted like you cared so you wouldn't be labeled as cold and cruel."

"What on earth do you have against your family? What has our family done wrong to get you to hate it so much?" She inquired, stepping closer and closer. I put a hand on Shay's shoulder.

"Shay…" I started but she put a hand up to stop me.

"I-It's because it was never about me. It was always about you and how well you and DH were training and how well everybody else was doing. I-I faded into the background because nobody noticed me. Even when I had something brilliant to say, Dad wouldn't care, he'd say 'That's nice, Shay,' then jump right back into the Dungeon."

"Oh, that's the best reason that you can come up with?" Nattie scowled as she snapped at Shay. "Whatever, I gave up understanding you a long time ago, Shay. You just get on with your life and remember that without the Dungeon, you wouldn't be anything."

"Oh…that means you wouldn't either, Nattie." Shay countered. "You flourished under the praise of our family while I rested beneath the shadows. You and your little trio are trying to live up to the legacy that our family created. _You're_ just another person from the Hart family. _I'm_ living up to my own expectations, raising my own bar and doing what I believe is right. Despite what you may think, I don't need you and I don't need my father or the Hart legacy. I've done perfectly well following my own path so far. So have fun being just another part of our family, I'm breaking off of it. Oh, and you can tell my dad I said that too," She replied and I nearly gawked at her. Shay was standing up against her family and Nattie. She was breaking free of the mold that her family's legacy had crafted.

"If you insist, I'll tell Bret you said that. I doubt he'll care though, out of the two of us, I was his favorite."

"I-I know." Shay stated and Nattie put her hands up.

"It's fine, I'll catch you later, Shay." Nattie replied as she turned around and stalked off. We watched her go until she became a speck out in the distance. Walking Shay back to the hotel that was only down the street from the arena, we went up to our room and as soon as we were inside, Shay settled down onto the bed. The blond sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey, are you sure you meant what you said back there?" I asked and she nodded.

"E-Every word. I'm done caring about what my family is doing, t-they were hardly a family anyways. Matt, Adam, Jay, C-Chris, Randy, Cody, Ted…you. Y-you are all the family I need." She shrugged and stood again. I pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Something wasn't right though, a feeling deep inside of me knew that Nattie wasn't done with us. She was far from done.


	23. Becoming Herself Again

_**Here is a chappy of UA! Woohooo!lol. I'd like to thank Angel, my awesome e-sis who beta-read this chappy. I'd also like to thank my readers and reviewers for sticking and following this story. I only own Shay and please go and vote on my poll:) Also, I posted a new story, called Three, Two, One, check it out please and please read, review, and enjoy:)**

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*Chris POV*

"So you two are officially a couple now?" I asked her as we walked down the hallway of the arena. John was having lunch with his friends, to Shay's urging, saying she didn't want him to fall behind on the 'manly gossip of the WWE.' I knew he didn't want to go, but he'd probably do anything she asked.

She smiled and nodded. "Y-yeah."

"Perfect." I grumbled.

"I-Is there a problem, Chris?"

I realized my mistake and quickly covered it. "No, no problem whatsoever." Her eyebrow rose suspiciously before she fell back into her smile. "I just hope he isn't like all the others."

"C-Chris, he won't be."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I-I just have this feeling."

"You said that the last two times, and look what happened." I stated and she sighed.

"Chris, y-you weren't there when I dated Dave and Nick."

"That doesn't mean I don't care. Besides, I knew the extent of it. Adam told me, gave me updates on how you've been doing."

"W-why couldn't you do this yourself?" She asked and I could swear I could hear annoyance stirring beneath her words. We had stopped walking and her arms crossed over her chest.

"It was when I wasn't in the WWE. I didn't know where you were."

"I-it's called a phone, Chris, a-and you know how to use one." She stated softly. "You c-could've gotten my number from Adam…or Jay, or Matt, Shane…t-they all have it."

"I was spending time with my kids, trying to salvage my marriage that still ended up falling apart!"

"I-I understand that, Chris and b-believe me, I may not u-understand that situation, but I understand that it took time." She sighed. "Y-you are making excuses, C-Chris. Touring with Fozzy, spending time with your family, e-enjoying free time…but you did have free time. B-but did you use it trying to s-salvage a friendship, or v-visit your friend in the hospital when I lay there, broken, bruised, and scared."

"Yeah, where was Adam when you were in that hospital? Where was Jay, or your other friends?"

"Y-you wanna know where they were Chris? They were right there beside me. I just find it strange that you stopped talking to me when you were released from the WWE, a-and now it's like you're my best friend. When you came back, you i-ignored me completely, shoved me away and acted like you d-didn't care anymore, and now you're my friend. W-what made you change your mind, Chris?" She asked and I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly shut it. Glancing down the hall, I sighed and she followed my gaze. John and Matt were approaching and I didn't want them to see us fighting.

"We'll talk about this later." With that, I adjusted the belt on my shoulder and walked off.

_*Shay POV*_

I watched him walk away. Honestly, I thought he looked good with it, but I was still confused by him. It was more like a cross between confused and upset.

John and Matt came up and I smiled as I hugged John and gave him a quick kiss. Matt jokingly rolled his eyes and scoffed. I stood by John and he put an arm around me. "S-So, you're not going to Wrestlemania?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"At least not in the Money in the Bank match." He stated and I looked at Matt who shrugged.

"Hopefully, Creative can't seem to make up their minds…"

"A-after all, they released Haas, S-Shane, and Maria." I muttered and Matt shrugged.

"Yeah, they're making a lot of cuts." Matt sighed.

"Y-you two better not be next, or I swear I w-will march straight down to Vince's office and d-demand…"

"Relax, they won't be letting us go anytime soon." John chuckled. "So, are you going to that Bret Hart Farewell thing?"

"N-No…" I trailed of and Matt nodded, understanding my reasoning.

"Okay then, so Shay, what have you been up to?" Matt asked as he leaned against the wall.

"N-Nothing much…"

"Bull. We saw your explosion in catering."

"M-Matt, that was about two months ago, at the Royal Rumble." I explained and he sighed.

"And you've been standing up for yourself a lot, at least, that's what John tells us."

I turned to face the brunette, who ran a hand through his hair and chuckled nervously before shrugging. "What? It's only what happened between you and Nattie the other night."

"You two are dating right?" Matt asked and we both nodded. "Well, as long as he treats you right…"

"He does." I chipped in immediately and John put an arm around me.

"Then I have no problem with him, not that I had a problem in the first place, but…" He trailed off. "Shay, can I talk to you over here?" he asked as he led me a little ways down the hall. Putting his hands on my shoulders, his chocolate brown eyes looked straight into my greenish-blue eyes. "Shay, if anything changes, just tell me."

"I-I know, Matt. I-I will."

He nodded and patted my shoulder. "It's great to see you really happy again, Shay. Now, I gotta go, so I'll see you later." He gave me a hug before walking away.

Returning to John, I smiled and hooked my arm with his before kissing his cheek. "What was that about." He asked.

"H-He was just telling me that he's happy I'm happy." I smiled. John grinned and walked with me down the hall.

_*Chris POV*_

"What? She said that?" I asked in disbelief. I was sitting at a table in catering with Nattie, TJ, DH, and Bret.

"Yeah, she's disgracing our family." Nattie stated.

"I wouldn't call it disgracing…" I started.

"It is disgracing." Nattie stated again. "She said she was done with this family, she's pushing the legacy away and says she wants nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, she's gotten into spats with Nattie, she's exploded at the entire WWE, and she's standing up for herself…" TJ continued. "She's acting weird."

"Yeah, she was questioning me today." I added. "It was weird, I've never heard her talk like that before. It's not very…like her."

"She's not stuttering as much either." Nattie sighed. "I bet that it's all because of that Hennigan guy."

"Hennigan?" Bret's eyebrow rose.

"Oh, she didn't tell you? Figures. She has a boyfriend, they've been dating for a couple weeks now." Nattie shook her head. "He'll be just like all the rest."

"All the rest?" Bret asked and I resisted the urge to gape at my mentor. Did he seriously not know about Shay's past boyfriends? Was he seriously that clueless about his own daughter? He was almost as bad as I am. Rubbing my hands together, I sighed and took in a breath. Judging by the curious and utterly clueless look on his face, I assumed he really didn't know. Before Nattie could open her mouth, I answered him.

"Shay's had some pretty…bad relationships." I replied.

"Bad as in they cheat on her?"

"Bad is in she's wound up in the hospital." I snapped.

"What? My daughter? No, there's no possible way that she could've gone without me knowing."

"She knew you were too busy, besides, she's too independent to let her dad fix her problems. It's the way Shay is." I shook my head and tapped my fingers on the table with a heavy sigh. Yeah, I was beginning to see why Shay was done with her family. They were all ignorant to her, like she was just a common occurrence who's presence hardly made an impact.

"So, who's this guy she's dating?"

"They're coming in right now." DH stated, gesturing to where Shay and John came in. She was laughing, holding his hand as he gently pulled her into catering. Her bright smile, lighting in unison with her eyes captivated many and it was easy to see how John fell in love with her. She was utterly gorgeous, in a very laid-back and easy going kind of way, not the decked out glamor that the Divas usually did. Pulling her into a hug, he whispered something into her ear that made her laugh more and kissed his cheek before their eyes fell on us. John's grip slid to where he just held her hand.

Shay tried to pull John out of catering, but he shook his head and said something to her. We were too far away for any of us to pick up on their conversation, but it ended with her nodded and walking beside him as they approached the table. They each pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table, side by side, hands still intertwined. The duo looked so…happy.

"Shay." It was the first word that left Bret's mouth. "Is what Nattie telling me…is it true? Do you really resent what this family has become?"

"Yes." Shay answered curtly. "I-I'm tired of it…all the hype that every single descendent has to follow in your shoes."

"Is that why you broke away from the Hart Dynasty?" DH asked.

"L-like you actually miss me, you three never liked me to begin with. I-In fact, the only one who actually paid attention to me was Owen. H-He persuaded you to let me come with you on the road every now and then, he got me interested in wrestling. A-Adam and Chris helped from there on. T-they trained me until you decided to enroll me in the Dungeon. I-I graduated and do I get any credit? No. I got pushed aside to d-deal with later." She stated and I saw Bret's face go blank.

"Shay, you are part of this family."

"Y-Yeah, but I have a family that treats me a hell of a lot better than this one." Shay stated, gesturing to Bret and the Hart Dynasty.

"Babe." John whispered and she took in a breath.

"D-Dad, I just don't agree with what they're doing with our family. I never agreed with it and I-I believe that if I really want to get anywhere with my career, I need to break away from what they expect. T-They expect me to follow in your footsteps and I have to go with what I want and what I believe, a-and that is not anything related to the Harts." Shay added and Bret nodded.

"Very well then, if you want to, do it, just don't expect us to be there to catch you when you fall. If you really think you can make it without being associated with the Harts, then good luck to you, you're gonna need it." Bret stated as he got up and left. Nattie snickered as she, TJ, and DH went off after him. I bit my lip and glanced at Shay, her eyes met mine and she instantly looked away. John gave her hand a squeeze and she smiled at him.

What her dad just did was a slap in the face, but it wasn't out of the norm. I wanted to say something, anything to let her know that I was on her side, but she and I weren't on talking terms yet. John and Shay stood and walked out of catering, hand-in-hand and as they disappeared from view, she rested her head on his shoulder. She was happy with him, and so far, he was treating her right. Shay was doing something extraordinary, something most wouldn't expect from her. She was becoming herself again.


	24. Never

**Hello everybody! Sorry for such a long wait and a short chappy, lol. I only own Shay, and I'd like to thank PenMaster51 for beta-reading this chappy. She beta'd for me this time, lol. Thank you to all my reviewers and readers, you all mean so much to me:)lol. Please go vote on my poll if you haven't and please read, review, and enjoy:)**_

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*John POV*

I was walking down the hall, talking with Ron when Shay came up, smiling as she hugged me. "Aw, J-Johnny's going to Wrestlemania." Her arms slid around my waist and she chuckled as she kissed my cheek. Her stutter was limited, not that I mattered to me, I loved her regardless, and her actions were becoming…bolder.

"Yeah, babe, I'm going to Wrestlemania." I chuckled and put an arm over her shoulder. "Are you coming with?"

"O-of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." I chuckled. "Hey, do you wanna go and talk? We've hardly had any time for ourselves, with all the drama that's been going on."

"Yeah, sure." I smiled, pulled her close to me. She giggled and hid her face in the crook of my neck.

"You sure Ron won't mind?" She asked.

"Nah, girl, go ahead and kidnap him. I need to go talk with Matt anyways." Ron smiled knowingly as he waved and walked down the hall, as if he were eager to leave us alone. I chuckled and gently rubbed her shoulder.

"W-what's so funny?"

"Nothing." I shook my head and her eyebrow rose for a moment before she relaxed and smiled again. God, this woman…everything she did just drew me in closer. Her smile, her voice, her eyes, it was all so entrancing and her kiss was intoxicating. There wasn't anything that I could think of to change about her. I was in love with her and would never be afraid to admit it.

"If you say so." My arm slipped by my side and she intertwined her hand with mine. We walked closely beside each other, hand in hand, ignoring the glances being sent at us. I knew that a decent percent of our coworkers were going to look down on this, on us, but I didn't care. No, I didn't care at all. As long as I was with Shay, I could be burning in the fieriest pits of hell and it still wouldn't bother me. Their opinions didn't matter, this was my life, and I could do what I pleased with it.

"So, Sunshine, what do you have in mind?"

"I have absolutely no idea; I just want to spend time with you." She nestled in closer to me, gazing up at me with a small smile. Grinning back, I leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Well, we could run off to an exotic island and live forever in peace and harmony without our coworkers…" I offered and Shay chuckled.

"I really don't think that's possible, let's start small…ice cream?"

I bit my lip and jokingly glanced nervously at my stomach. "Um, babe…I want to maintain my abs…I'm not so sure I can handle the carbs…."

"You're worried about getting fat?" She moved to stand in front of me and we stopped walking. Her finger gently poked my stomach and her eyebrow rose. "R-Really, Johnny? Shay ran a hand across my stomach, as if tracing the muscle beneath my shirt.

"You know how strict Vince is about our physique, one ice cream could ruin your career, babe, mine too." I smirked and she sighed before pouting. She tilted her head to the side a little, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear as her bottom lip stuck out a littler. She batted her eyelashes before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Please?"

I was surprised that she was playing along, but just smiled back at her. "Well, when you put it that way…" I trailed off as I took her hand. "Of course we'll go for ice cream."

Twenty minutes later, we stood in front of the Dairy Queen counter, ordering our ice cream. The cashier looked at us and smiled. "Aw, how sweet, I always knew you two were more than coworkers."

"Huh?" I asked.

"Oh, I watch Smackdown, and I just adore you two together. Shay's my favorite Diva and you're my favorite Superstar."

Shay perked up at the mentioning of her name and smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"I'm serious, though. I loved how you're taking a stand for what you believe in, even if your family disapproves, it's very brave…I know a lot of people who wouldn't have been able to do that." The girl smiled and grabbed a piece of paper from a notepad in her pocket and a pen. "May I have both of your autographs?"

"S-sure." Shay smiled as she quickly scrawled her signature before sliding it to me. Her hand brushed mine and she blushed. As soon as I was done, I gave it back to the cashier and rand a hand through my hair.

"Whipped cream?" She asked as she pocketed the notepad.

"Yes, please." We both nodded before grabbing our seats. Shay sat across from me and I put a hand over hers. "See, people know who you are."

"Yeah." She smiled as she took a bit of her ice cream and stood up. "Let's go walk and eat."

I nodded, getting up and following her outside as we walked along the sidewalk. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine, it's just that I like the open air more than buildings." She shrugged, but I knew she wasn't telling the truth.

"Shay."

"Okay, fine, I-I'm afraid, Johnny." She said and I was shocked. What could she possibly be afraid of?

"Of what?" I asked, slowly taking a bite of my ice cream. I wanted to know what was wrong and fix it for her; she didn't need to be afraid of whatever frightened her.

"That this is all a dream, that I could wake up one day and find out that everything that's happened the past few months have been a dream. I'm afraid I could lose you. What if Vince changes the storyline, or if one of us gets drafted in the draft? What if…"

I kissed her, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence, and dropping my ice cream to the floor. Hers fell too, but I doubt she noticed. I kissed her slowly, lovingly, gently parting her lips with mine as I pulled her close to me. Her body fit perfectly against mine and I put my hands on her waist. Shay put her hands on my shoulders, using me for support. Each moment with her lips against mine was pure bliss, a sugar coated sweetness that embedded itself inside my mind, becoming my addiction. I was addicted to her, her exhilarating presence, her smooth voice that echoed softly like wind chimes, her entrancing icy-blue eyes, her personality so humble and modest sometimes that it was cute…it all added up to make her the answer to everything I'd ever want or need. I loved her, so very much and she was afraid of losing me.

She was afraid of losing me. I could never leave her, even if I wanted to. Shay had taken a very special place in my heart; a piece she could never give back. It was hers to keep, I had fallen for her when in the beginning. I just wanted to get to know her better. As it turns out, I did. I learned a hell of a lot about the woman named Shay, about the extremely shy exterior that slowly ebbed away to reveal the lively, glowing confidence, about her and her dreams, her hopes…and her demons, the shadows of the past. I learned about what made her the woman I loved today, the woman who was just as beautiful shy as she was confident.

Slowly breaking apart, I rested my forehead against hers as she tried to steady her breathing. "Shay, don't be afraid. You will never lose me. Never."

She nodded, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment. Shay smiled a little and hid her face in my chest. Stroking her hair, I kissed the top of her head. "We should g-go back to the arena." Her soft voice replied suddenly and I nodded, leading her back to the car.

As long as I was here, as long as I lived, she would never lose me. Never.


	25. True Feelings Revealed

**Hello everyone, here is another chappy of UA! Woohooo!lol. I'd like to thank Angel for beta-reading this and being an awesome e-sista!Thank you all my readers and reviewers, you all mean the world to me and I love you all! Pleae go check out my website, the link is on my profile and pelase go vote on my poll to see which fic you guys want me to start next. Also, please read, review, and enjoy:)**_

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*Shay POV*

I smirked as I walked into the back with John and Ron. John had just beaten Mike and we had to get out of their before Show got at them. Walking through the curtain, I hugged John tightly. "You guys were amazing." I smiled and kissed him.

"Thanks, Shay." Ron chuckled.

John nodded and kissed my forehead. "Hey, I have to go. Um, I'll be back soon."

"Um, okay, do you want me to come with you?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No, it's something I need to do by myself." he smiled and kissed me again before walking away. I looked at him quizzically before Ron caught my attention.

"I have never seen him so happy."

"Huh?" I asked.

"He's happy, Shay. Really happy, and I see you're happy too, so for future reference; don't listen to them."

"Who?" I asked and he sighed.

"You'll find out soon enough." With that he nodded and walked away, giving me a slight, polite wave. I bit my lip, trying to figure out who exactly 'them' was.

_*John POV*_

Walking through the halls, I quickly came up to the one I wanted. I knocked on the wood and waited for him to call me in. As I entered, I saw the man I had been needing to talk to. Bret. He sat there, talking to Vince and they both stopped when I walked in. "Yes, Mr. Hennigan?" Vince asked.

"Um…I just needed to talk to you both, well ,mainly Bret, but…"

"Sit." He cut me off and immediately, I sat down at a chair across from him. "What did you need to speak to us about?"

"It's…Shay." I said slowly.

"What about her? Do you want out of the storyline?"

"No." I stated quickly. "God no, I love my storyline with her. It's a personal matter, and I'd wish to discuss it, if you're not too busy."

"Of course we can talk about it now, I was just wrapping it up here anyways." Vince said and Bret nodded.

"Go on." Bret urged and I sighed.

"Shay isn't treated right backstage. And it's a problem."

Vince looked shocked. "I never heard any complaints."

"Because she never complains." I replied and he nodded.

"I'll look into it. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I need to talk with Bret, alone." I requested and Bret nodded before getting up and leaving. I was about to leave when Vince grabbed my wrist and turned me to face him.

"Don't hurt her, John. That's all I ask of you. She doesn't get along with her family, she doesn't make many friends…just, be good to her, and treat her right."

I nodded, remembering that Vince had always taken a liking to Shay. He nodded in return and I went out the door, following Bret to catering. My nerves ran wild, seeing as I was about to confront my girlfriend's father. As we sat down, he cleared his throat. "What did you need to talk about?"

"Shay, sir. With all due respect, sir, you and your family don't treat her right. She thinks you hate her, but I don't think that's the case."

"It isn't." He mumbled. "I'd want nothing more than to be able to reconcile with Shay…she just won't listen."

"It's not that either. With all the months you've been hanging around, not once have I seen you try to reconcile with her. You had all that time, the past few months and twelve years before to say that you're sorry, to prove to her that she actually means something to you." I replied and he sighed.

"Shay's the black sheep of the family. She always has been and I believe that she just wants to be different. She just wants somebody to know her name for once. She's separated herself from us, so I see no reason to interfere with that. If she's happy screwing her career, fine by me."

"She isn't screwing her career. She's doing something nobody in your family had the guts to do. She's being herself, she's stretching and going beyond the boundaries that are normally set for a member of the Hart family. Instead of following in your footsteps, she's creating her own." I snapped and he shook his head.

"Our legacy is the only thing that can keep our family going. In order for anyone to be successful in our family, you normally have to follow in the footsteps, go with the legacy that I created. See, Nattie, DH, and TJ followed, and look where they are now. They're helping me induct my father."

"And Shay's going to Wrestlemania." I countered.

"Wrestlemania?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, she's leading Ron and myself out to the ring. They're thinking about making it a three on two handicap match for the titles. Shay's pretty amazing in the ring, you know. And she has a lot of friends."

"Like?"

"Chris, Jay, Adam, Matt, Ron, Mike, Legacy, Cori, Melina…yes, Melina, the one you said was the best female wrestler of today. Shay's an amazing person, Bret. She's remarkable, she's sweet, kind, loving, generous, smart, strong…"

"And you're in love with her. You two are dating, am I correct?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Really? Hmmm, I don't hate her, John. I'm just…unhappy with her. She just never understood what this family meant, how important the legacy is."

"She got tired of hearing about how she had to live up to the legacy. And when she gets to be as big of a superstar as Adam, and Chris, and the other main eventers, she will only have to thank you for pushing her away. You'll have made her who she is, by pushing her away. I have to go, it's been a pleasure talking with you." Okay, maybe it wasn't a pleasure, but it did release some steam. Running a hand through my hair, I took a deep breath before walking away down the hall.

_*Chris POV*_

I sighed and watched Shay meet up with John again. I watched as he swooped her into his arms and hugged her, holding her close to him. The look in her eyes told me that even if he didn't win at Wrestlemania, she still would love him. She'd still love him if he was a jobber with no money, working in the indies. He had captured a place in her heart so deep that she was smitten with him. Yet, all it needed was a sharp tug to bring it all crashing down again.

She had also stolen a piece of his heart. She stole pieces of everybody's hearts. I saw it in Adam's eyes every time he looked at her, a steady, low wanting, a silent longing for her. It was dim, very dim; glowing the far back recesses of his mind. So far back that it was clouded and repossessed by protective, brotherly instincts.

Yeah, there was no denying it, at some point in time, Adam had been completely head over heels for her.

I saw it in Jay, only it was dim in Jay. Very, very dim. A faded image that also transformed into a brotherly relationship, where he'd do anything and everything for her, the only thing she'd ever have to do was ask. Matt also had a small crush on her at the beginning…

I only prayed that she couldn't see it in me. No, if she were to see, hear, and feel the emotions I had locked away so secretly, things would be different. If she could see the emotions that I hid behind years and years of practice, there was a possibility she wouldn't be in John's arms. No, had I told her right away, she could be in mine. She could be mine, my warm, sweet safe haven that I ran to whenever I needed her, which would've been always.

It took a lot to keep my emotions under check. I positioned myself in a storyline with Trish and Lita, trying to veer any feelings of Shay away. Then, I got married, I had kids, and I even stopped calling her, stopped contacting her and treating her the way she should be treated.

I sunk to the low of being like her coworkers and shoving her away like she was nothing more that an obstacle. I took a hiatus from wrestling to try and salvage my crumbling marriage, to tour with Fozzy, to push Shay farther and farther from my mind. To bury the feelings I had once and for all.

But they kept coming back like ghosts of long forgotten souls, like a boomerang swing right back to the starting point. It was undeniable, and when Shay asked me why I had separated myself from her, it was to keep myself from telling her how I felt. I couldn't tell her that, no, she was too caught up in John.

She was happy right now, truly happy. Never before had I seen her so joyous, so radiant and outgoing. She could've lived that way with me. If I wanted to, I could be that sharp tug that brought her happiness crashing down. I could wedge myself in the way of the happy couple and pry them apart. I could show her how much I loved her, and how happy she could be with me, if she felt the same.

But I couldn't tear apart her happiness. If I did, she'd hate me rather than love me. The last thing I wanted her to do was hate me.

My phone rang and with a heavy sigh, I reached over and grabbed it. It was flashing my wife's number. Slowly, I winced and answered it.

"Chris, did you get the papers?" those were the first words out of her mouth. No 'hello, how are you.'

"Yeah." I stated, running my fingers lightly over the papers that sat in front of me. A pen lay beside my hand, beckoning to me. My wife had been a distraction, something to tear my attention away from Shay, and it had worked, but only for a little bit.

Yes, I had loved my wife, at one point in time, but the feelings for Shay drove a nail right through the marriage. I ignored the pen, trying to see if I could worm my way back into my distraction, and lead a life away from Shay, a life happy with my wife and kids.

"Okay." Silence. This was what my distraction had melted into; a mistake. A bad decision I regretted making.

"Is…is there anyway we can talk about this? It doesn't have to end this way." I murmured, glancing at Shay as she moved out of sight with John. _Yes, yes it did have to end this way. _My mind screamed. I wasn't happy with my wife, there was no use in pretending anymore.

"We can't talk anymore, Chris. We've tried and it didn't work." I could her the faint muffled crying and my heart twisted inside my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. It was wrong of me to use her this way, she deserved so much better than me and I prayed she wouldn't find out the hidden reason behind our marriage. She had been used, for my own personal reasons, so I could hide behind a façade, shadow my real feelings behind false ones. "I'm sorry." Her voice cracked.

"Me too." I replied as the line went dead. Setting the phone back down, I ran a hand through my hair and glanced out of the corner of my eye again. Shay and John stood, laughing and being a couple. Then, she rested her head on his shoulder and kissed his jaw. He kissed her forehead and held her close.

I would've killed to be John at the moment, I'd kill to be John any day.

Turning my attention back to the divorce papers that sat in front of me, taunting me in a blur of black and white. Glancing back at Shay and John, I saw her happiness, her joy and love surround her in a golden aura. John's love for her shone just as brightly, wrapping her in a fiery embrace. She was happy with him, not me. She loved him, not me. I could break and destroy my happiness, but by no means would I destroy hers.

In a final, swift motion, I scooped the pen between my fingers and signed on the dotted line, signifying the end to my distraction, and the whole new façade I'd have to put up.

She was his, not mine. That was a fact I'd have to deal with. At least for now anyways.


	26. Wrestlemania

**Here's the next chappy for UA! Woohoo! I only own Shay, nobody else. Thank you Angel for beta-reading and thank you to all of you for Reading and Reviewing! Woohoo, I love all your feedback. Please go vote on my poll, and please read, review and enjoy.**_

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*Shay POV*

I sighed as the bell was rung and Miz and Big show came back as Champs. They had won, John and Ron had lost. On the Grandest Stage of Them All. I could see the frustration, flickering in John's eyes, even if it was a scheduled loss. He wanted to be champion, to have gold around his waist and bragging rights to say that he had helped defeat the Big Show and the Miz, shutting them up once and for all. It was his desire, one of his sole goals in the business, create stepping stones on his way to being a main-eventer.

He was balancing precariously along the edge, barely dangling in as a mid-card and a top-card. Truth be told, I didn't think it was fair, but Vince was Vince and what he wanted, he got. As we reached the backstage area, Mike came up and shook John's hand before turning to me. "Hey Shay."

"Hey." I murmured, hooking my arm with John's. Mike noticed and smirked.

"I knew you two would wind up together." He chuckled. We stood there for a few moments, and Mike sighed.

"So, a bunch of us are going out tonight, wanna come?"

John opened his mouth to speak, but I jumped in. "Um…no-no thank you, Mike. Thanks for the offer, though." John looked at my quizzically.

"I'm staying in too then." John nodded. "Thanks though, Mike." He put an arm over my shoulder. "We're gonna go back to the hotel. Catch ya later."

"Fine, then, but if come tomorrow, there's Mini Shay's and JoMo's running around, you're the one who gets to deal with Shawn, and the Undertaker, and all those guys who are on her side."

A deep blush flushed my cheeks and John merely chuckled as he flipped his friend off and led me to our locker room, where we quickly changed and grabbed our stuff. John turned to look at me. "Why do you want to stay in?"

"I just think…we need some alone time." I smiled and kissed him. His hands hovered around my waist, as if touching me would bring him over the edge of being able to withhold his desire. I knew what he wanted, I could see it lingering behind his touch. Gingerly, he reached up to hold my face in his hand. Smiling against his lips, I pulled apart, took him by the hand and walked to the car.

"What's the rush?"

"I just want to make it out of here before we run into Michelle or something." I replied, "I-It's…just um…"

"Say no more." He smirked, gently running his fingers through my hair as we got into the car and he drove to the hotel. With one hand on the steering wheel, his other held mine. Lifting my hand, he kissed it and thumbed the knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you too." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. This, this was what love was. This is what it felt like, a steady glow that never faded into the night. A glow as radiant as the sun, the swelled and blossomed within my heart. It was irrevocable, stable, steady and bright, so luminescent and beautiful that it escaped words. It was calm, and serene.

We pulled into the hotel and John opened my door for me before walking me up to the room we had booked earlier. As we entered, I dropped my bag on the sofa and sat down next to it. John chuckled. "Alone time? Or are you just tired?"

"I-I'm not tired." I stated and he laughed.

"I'm gonna go…um…change." John said and I nodded as he went into the bathroom. I opened up my bag, grabbing a pair of shorts and a tank top and changed into them. I let my hair loose, letting the blond locks tumble over my shoulders and down my back. Walking over to the window, I brushed the curtain out of the way and pressed my forehead against the glass, staring into the night sky. Nerves coursed through me and I shut my eyes, taking in a few slow, easy breaths.

I must've spaced out, I didn't hear the bathroom door open, or the steps coming up behind me. John's hands went around my waist, bringing me close against him. His breath fanned over my shoulder as he rested his chin atop my head. He said nothing and slowly, I covered his hands with mine. Silently, he kissed my cheek, trailing kisses down my jaw line and neck before kissing my bare shoulder.

Sparks. Millions and millions of tiny pinpricks against my skin, exploding in starbursts of electricity. It felt so right being here, in his arms, so close to him. I could feel him hold his breath as I gasped. My eyes fluttered shut as I contemplated.

Blank, my mind had gone blank. A vacant space, absent of all coherent thought. The only thing that filled my mind was him, his fiery touch and everything he made me feel. Alive, like I belonged, safe, complete. I loved him. There was no other way of putting it.

"Shay." He whispered and turned me to face him. John kissed my forehead. "I love you." It was the fourth time today he had said it, and every single time it had the same effect. A smile crossed my face as I captured his lips in a kiss.

Keeping one hand on my hip, he moved one to caress my face, deepening the kiss. His hand trailed up my side, around to my the small of my back and back again. Flames of desire lingering beneath his touch, igniting the passion and making the temptation too high to resist. Parting my lips with his, a low moan escaped his throat. Suddenly he stopped, as if the reaction had brought him to his senses. Pulling back, he looked away.

"Sorry…I…"

"It's fine." I murmured, grabbing his hand and intertwining out fingers. A breath passed his lips as he turned to face me.

"If I keep going, I won't be able to stop." He whispered.

"It's a good thing I don't want you to stop." I whispered back and he nodded, putting his hands on my hips again. Lifting me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist and draped my arms over his shoulders, running my hands through his hair as he continued to kiss my neck and collarbone before reclaiming my lips with his.

He kissed me slowly, sensually and lovingly as he moved one hand to entangle in my hair. Stepping backwards, he set me on the counter, kissing my temple. With hesitation, John gripped the hem of my tank top. It was then that I realized he was shirtless, wearing a pair of gray pajama pants.

Our breathing heavy, he gulped and looked me in the eye. His chocolate brown eyes encased with a softness that edged out in a determined haze. It was desire, and love, warmth and soul, flooding and crashing in our hearts. "Are you sure?" He breathed, waiting for my response.

Immediately, I nodded, a gasp slipping past my lips as he slipped the tank top over my head. Picking me up, he set me back on the ground before he stopped again. I whimpered as he left, walking towards the door and dead bolting it.

A smile crossed his lips as he returned, kissing me again with all the longing and passion he had suppressed. Tonight, there were no boundaries, no lines we wouldn't…couldn't cross. Running my hands over his shoulders, down his arms and abs, I intertwined our fingers and with one hand, I flicked off the room light before he pulled us down onto the bed.


	27. A Plan is Brewing

_**Sorry for the wait...hehe. It was my birthday on Monday and I got busy. Anyhoo, this chappy isn't beta-read, it was late and this needed to be posted, so I apologize for any grammatical errors. I only own Shay and Lex(who is briefly mentioned in this chappy). Please go vote on my poll and check out a new story I started called 100 Words. Also, pelase read, review and enjoy:)**

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*Shay POV*

My eyes fluttered open at the silky touch of John's hand running down my bare side and the kiss he placed on my shoulder. A smile immediately crossed my lips and I turned my head to capture his lips in a kiss. As we broke apart, he kissed my forehead and I laid my head on his chest. "G'morning, Sunshine." He murmured.

"Good morning, J-John." He smiled a little at the stutter and I felt a small blush creep onto my cheeks. Sun filtered through the curtain, casting a glow on us that seemed to cloud around us like a golden aura.

_*John POV*_

I looked up at her and grinned. She was so beautiful laying there, her head on my chest, the golden tresses that spilled over her shoulders and down her back reflected the sunlight, the white linen sheets that were partially wrapped around her body…she just looked so angelic. Angelic, like an angel sent down to protect and save me from whatever path I could've went down. An angel so soft, warm and safe that it was a shame to miss a moment of her presence. So alluring, yet modest. She mayh not have known it, but I saw the wayward glances that men sent towards her, hoping she'd catch the glimpse and spend a few moments of her time on them.

She was an angel, my angel.

Moments of picturesque, comfortable silence passed before she glanced at the clock. A gasp passed her lips as she lifted herself up onto her hands, still looking down at me. Locks of hair tumbled over her shoulders, brushing against my chest and slowly, I lifted a hand the run my fingers through the silky golden strands. "J-Johnny, it's time to get up."

I pouted and groaned. "But I don't wanna."

"John, our jobs depend on it."

"I don't care if I get fired, as long as I'm with you." I murmured and she giggled, a sweet, heavenly sound. God, I was so in love with this woman that I couldn't even put it into words. I had stopped trying a long time ago.

"Seriously, get up." She stated as she stood up, still wrapped in a sheet, and grabbed a bunch of clean clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. I stood up, stretched and got dressed. As soon as I had pulled my shirt over my head, she emerged, wearing simple jeans and a white, off-the-shoulder sleeved shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and around her neck was a maple leaf necklace. She had put on her knee-high flat boots and was smiling as she approached me. "Ready?"

"No." I scoffed playfully. "I have to fix my hair."

"Huh, lucky me, I get the man who spends way too long in the bathroom." She smirked, something I don't think I've ever seen her do. Putting my hands on her waist, I leaned in close to her and smirked back.

"Mike spent way longer than I ever did, and he has less hair than me."

"Mike's also the one decked in preppy vests and scarves." She retaliated and I chuckled as I fingered the necklace.

"I thought you didn't care for your family."

"It's a maple leaf, John. Just because I don't like my family doesn't mean I don't like Canada. B-Besides, it was a gift from Adam, Jay, and Chris a few years ago." She explained, turning it over so I could see the engraving on the back.

"Never let the world get you down and never fear, there we will always be right here, still loving you for you. Love, Chris, Adam, and Jay." I murmured before setting it back. "They really do care about you."

"I-I know…they've always been a bit protective of me." She stated as I went into the bathroom to fix my hair. After I came back out, Shay and I left the hotel room and began walking down the hall.

"Remind me what we have to do again?"

"It's the day after Wrestlemania, John. We have a lot of stuff to do back at the arena, consult Lex and everybody else to see what's next. And, Vince called a meeting." Shay explained and I put an arm over her shoulder as we made our way into the elevator. At the last second, Mike darted in, panting slightly.

He took one look at us and knew. "Oh…my…God." His jaw dropped. "You didn't?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's none of your business, Mike."

"It should be." He grumbled. "So, Golden Shay of Sunshine, how's life treating you?" Shay's eyebrow rose at the new nickname, but she shrugged it off.

"Nothing much, eh. You?"

"Eh, nothing much either. The party last night was amazing. You will never believe what happened…." He trailed off into the story and continued to tell us countless other tales of the night on our way to the arena and well into the hallways on our way to the meeting. Finally, when I had had enough, I turned towards Shay/

"I apologize for him."

"It's no big deal." She shrugged as she found the door and opened it. We quickly took our seats, just as Vince had begun talking. Shay had taken her seat next to Chris, and I sat next to her, landing myself right next to Phil. Chris tugged her sleeve and whispered something into her ear, which she nodded to and then spoke to Adam and Jay, who sat in front of her. They twisted in their seats to face her and grinned.

"Hey Shay Butter, what's up? Sleep well?"

"Jay." Adam smacked the other blonds arm as they four went into a deep discussion. Phil then caught my attention. He and Ron were looking at me and my eyebrow rose.

"What?"

"We need to talk." They replied as they turned their attention back to the meeting, which had officially started.

After the meeting had ended, I hugged Shay. "Hey, I have to go with Phil and Ron, apparently, they need to talk to me."

"It's alright, my gang needs a word with me too." She kissed my cheek, which I heard a couple snickers at, but ignored as she smiled and walked off with Jay, Adam and Chris. I followed Phil, Ron, and Mike to Phil's rental as he drove to a nearby café'. It wasn't long after we had ordered when Phil made a comment that snapped my attention straight to him.

"She's not right for you."

"Excuse me?" I questioned.

"Shay, I just don't think she's a good fit for you." Phil shrugged.

"She's a nice girl and all, but I have to side with Phil on this one." JTG murmured, he had also arrived with us.

"What?"

"C'mon, man, you're not that stupid. It's Shay Hart, she's been around the block a few times. Nick and Dave within a matter of a year." Phil tried to explain, but I had already heard enough. He was supposed to be my friend.

"Yeah, they threw her around the block a couple times." I rolled my eyes at them. Then, Dave sat down. Oh yeah,t hat's right, he thought we were still friends.

"Who you guys talkin' about?"

"Shay." Phil answered.

"Oh, I see." He chuckled. "Definitely not good for you John. I don't know if you knew this or not, but when we were dating, she just messed everything up. She cheated on me man, once a cheater, always a cheater."

"And what happened to 'Bros before hos'?" Phil spitfired another question before I angrily stood up. They had no right to criticize her behind her back, not to mention ridicule and try to control our relationship.

"Just shut up." I stated. "I love Shay. You don't have to be her best friend, but you don't have to be an enemy either. She is a great person, better than you three." I gestured towards Dave, Phil, and JTG. Absolutely ridiculous how you think you're above her, when you're all just pitiful, arrogant egomaniacs who are too stubborn to get to know someone outside of their clique. You're worse than a bunch of teenagers. You're supposed to be my friends, act like it for once." I stated.

"John's right, Shay's a great girl, she's nice and sweet and you're not worth a second of her time. Just pitiful." Mike glared at them and Ron smirked.

"And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing' but the truth." With that, they followed me out of the building, where they tried to calm me down. "Man, they have no right telling you who's good for you and who isn't. You love Shay, and she's good for you. You've been a hell of a lot better person with her."

I just smiled, knowing he was right.

_*Chris POV*_

She stared at me with disbelief. "What?" She asked again.

I sighed and shut my eyes for a moment. I promised myself I wouldn't try to ruin her happiness, but sometimes, a man has to think for himself first. And it was my happiness that mattered to me. "I don't think John's good for you. Women are practically crawling all over him everyday."

"But he doesn't pay any attention to them."

"It's not long before he starts though."

Tension was strung high in her face, knitting her eyebrows together as she shut her eyes and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Why?"

"I just thought, well…never mind. Why do you care who I date? I'm happy, Chris."

"It's not long before it all comes crashing down." I replied.

"And if it does happen, I can take care of myself." She sighed. "I'm not weak, I'm not fragile…I can take care of myself, Chris. It seems as though you're the only one who seems to think otherwise."

"No, Jay and Adam worry."

"But they let me live my life without all this, Chris. All of a sudden, you're so interested in me."

"I want to rebuild our friendship, Shay. Is that too much to ask? Is that oh so difficult that you have to question it?"

"I'm not trying to, Chris…ugh. We never finished talking about this a few weeks ago. This was the same topic that was brought up." She murmured,

"Are you going to avoid it again?"

"You were the one who cut it off." She pointed out and I sighed, knowing she was right. "Why are you acting like this, Chris?" She pleaded to know and in my heart, I wanted to tell her, but I knew I couldn't. She'd hate me for sure, and that was something I wouldn't stand for. My phone rang and I silently thanked God for it as I answered the call.

"Chris, we need you to work out some more things for the World Heavyweight Championship thing." It was Jack Hager, and I nodded as I hung up and put my phone back into my pocket before standing.

"I gotta go, storyline…" I trailed of as she nodded and watched me leave. "I promise you, we'll talk soon."

_*Two weeks later*_

Okay, maybe I lied. We didn't get to talk much…at all. Shay and John got caught up in whatever they did these days, and I lost my title to Hager and was still in my feud with Adam. Yeah, it didn't leave time for talking.

Walking around the arena, I contemplated calling Shay, but never even drew my phone out. As if on cue, my phone rang and I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Chris." I couldn't recognize the voice right away, but knew it had to have been a coworker.

"Hey." I stated, finally drawing a name to the voice.

"So, I know how much you love Shay." Okay, this caught me. How did he know? I had hidden it so well, hadn't I? My gazes never stayed for too long, I hid everything well…how did he know?

"I-I um…you must be mistaken." I stammered.

He chuckled. "Oh, no, I'm not mistaken. You want to be with her, right."

"Yeah." I stated, not willing to deny it any longer. I wanted her, needed her, but she didn't reciprocate the feelings.

"You want her to love you."

"Yes."

"I know how to draw her away from John." The man said and my eyebrow rose.

"How?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Well, meet me after this week's show and we'll talk. "

I was skeptical. The two were inseparable. "Um, alright. Where?"

"We'll find you."

"I don't know about this…" I trailed off, still unsure.

"Don't worry, Chris. She'll be yours in no time. After all, that is what you want, right?" He asked and I nodded.

"Mhhmm."

"Very well then. See you later Chris." He hung up and I shook my head with a smile as I put my phone back into my pocket. I was going to be ruining some lives, but at this point, I didn't really care. Shay soon would be mine, why would I care it hurt John's feelings?


	28. The Draft

**A'ight, here's another chappy of Unlikely Attractions! Woohooo! Sorry for the wait, I've been busy getting ready and caught up from a class trip i took from Wednesday to Friday...hehe. Anyhooo, thank you Angel for beta-reading this, you're such a great e-sis! Thank you to all my readers, without you, this would not be possible. Um....I only own Shay and Cori...and I know exactly what's going to happen in UA now, hee-hhee, lol. So pelase read, review, and enjoy:)**_

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*Chris POV*

A sigh passed my lips as I waited by the door to the locker room. Whoever I was supposed to meet was behind that door. Whoever it was held the key to my happiness. I wanted Shay, they could give her to me. I wanted Shay to be happy, wouldn't she be happier with me? A guy she's known for the better part of her entire life versus a man she's been friends with for less than a year? I know who she is, how she became who she is, the intricate story behind it all. I was there for years. He was there for a few months.

I was one of her go-to guys for years. Until I was released. By then, staying around her while she threw her life away on guys who didn't deserve her, on people who passed her in the halls as if she wasn't there, while she went through this time just being my friend was just too much to bear.

So, I distanced myself from her. My body was away from her, but my mind wasn't. Addictive. Once she smiles at you and bats those pretty eyes, you're hooked. Forever. While I was away from her, she still infiltrated my thoughts, kept me restless at night…then when I returned to the WWE, the safest bet to keep her away from my heart was to keep her away from me.

So what did I do? I did what nearly every person in this company did and ignored her. I pretended she wasn't there, pretending not to see the hurt in her eyes every time I brushed past her without a second glance. Every time it killed me. Drove the dagger in my heart a little bit deeper, twisted it in towards my core.

Then when she started hanging out with John, I cracked. I couldn't stay away and now I am finally in her good graces again. Still, she's doubting me. She wants to know why. Why I never called, never visited or tried to contact her. Why I chose now to get back into her life. But I can't tell her the reason is because I love her. It would tear her apart, knowing that a man loves her while she's dating another. It's good that Adam and Jay never told her…or Matt…or anybody else who will admit to having the slightest bit of a crush on Shay at any point in time. Most of us try to get over it, push it back so we can move on and live life without having her haunt our minds. We all knew only one could be with her, John was just that lucky guy.

But maybe that's all it was. Just luck. He didn't try to fall in love with her, he just did. No one could blame him for that. But she somehow fell in love with him and that was just luck. It should be me, but I missed my chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, and this is mine.

The door to the locker room opened and I stepped inside before the person shut the door behind me.

_*Shay POV*_

"J-John?" I asked and he looked over at me with a smile.

"Yeah?"

"W-What about the Draft? What if we get separated?"

"We won't." He assured me, his warm voice usually melted away any nervousness I had, but for the past few days, I couldn't seem to dull the anxiousness I felt. The draft was tomorrow. The one day where things were 'shaken up.' Teams were broken apart, friends separated…it was all a plan to try and give people other competition instead of facing the same people week after week. It was all randomized, actually randomized and usually, we didn't even know who was going to be drafted until it showed up on the screen. Storylines were switched and Superstars and Divas were thrown into new ones with different people.

The entire thought of being separated from John was just unbearable. With my luck, I would end up without any of my close friends. I had grown so close to people and now some of them could be ripped away. Mickie was released, Maria was gone…only God knew who else was next on the chopping block. That was only released. I have no female friends on Smackdown, and hardly any male friends. What if John got drafted?

"H-how do you know?"

"If I have to personally make sure we both end up on the same brand, I will." He whispered, kissing my temple as he pulled me into a hug. Slowly, I put my arms around him, soaking in the warmth that radiated from his body. With one hand, he stroked my hair while the other held me close to his chest. I could feel the beating of his heart as silence fell and he rested his chin on my head. "I promise."

I had only hoped he'd be right. After all, he had always kept his promises before.

_*Chris POV*_

"Understand?" The man across from me asked. I nodded slowly and ran a hand over my hair. The plan was set, I knew what I had to do. He grinned as his partner came out from behind the couch, a smirk also set on his face.

"Yeah…Thanks for the help."

They chuckled. "No, Chris…thank you." Nodding again, I stood up and left, still struggling to believe that I may actually get what I want; Shay…as long as this plan works out as it should.

_*The Next Day; Raw arena; WWE Draft*_

_*Shay POV*_

No. My breath caught in my throat as I satred at the monitor. No, this couldn't be true. They couldn't do this. This couldn't be happening. My eyes froze, glazed over with a slick layer of tears that threatened to fall at any moment. A gasp passed my lips and a hand slid over my mouth in disbelief.

The draft pick flashed in front of my eyes. The familiar tune melted through the speakers, freezing my heart as it showcased Raw's newest Superstar.

John Morrison.

My rock, my savior, the one who held my heart in his hands and could do what he damned well pleased with it. Now, he was gone. Gone from Smackdown and the Diva's Draft pick had already been filled. Biting my lip, I blinked back tears as time unfroze and John went out to the ramp to celebrate him switching brands. In reality, he was probably feeling as empty as I was. Ron's music struck and he sent me a sympathetic glance as he went up to the ramp. Moments passed, slowly and excruciatingly as I contemplated the outcome of this Draft and the Supplemental Draft. I had always known it would be highly unlikely for them to keep us together. They felt they had to switch John to Raw, and I had no control over it. It was what they thought was best, and if they believed it was for the best, no one else's opinion on the matter even mattered. They didn't care what friends, or significant others it hurt.

Adam had come up behind me and I knew that the worst was about to unfold. I had already had two losses…John and Ron, though the latter had just started to become my friend. He was the third Raw Draft pick so far, ripping another piece of my heart out of my chest. Adam's eyes softened as he put a hand on my shoulder, but slid it off as he left when his music struck. Mere moments passed, but if felt time had frozen. The three slowly came back, none were smiling and they gathered around me.

I must've looked like an idiot. Standing there with absent, vacant eyes, biting my lip, hand clenched around the maple leaf pendant that hung from my neck while the other had the hem of my skirt caught in a death grip. John must've said something to them, because Ron and Adam nodded before walking away. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and I collapsed into sobs, succumbing to the tears that now trickled down my cheeks.

"No, no, no, now." John murmured, breaking apart slightly to thumb away my tears. "Do not cry, Shay. Please, Shay. Every tear you shed kills me, I hate it when you cry. I-I could still be drafted back…you never know…there's the Supplemental Draft…"

"John. They won't draft you back to Smackdown. They drafted you, Ron, and Adam away from me…God only knows who else is next." I glanced away from him, not wanting him to have to look into my teary eyes.

He said nothing for a few moments. Then finally he spoke. "I'm sorry."

"F-for what?" I asked. "You…you did a-absolutely nothing wrong."

"But I did…I-I got drafted. I got drafted when I promised you that we'd stay together…I'm sorry, Shay." He pressed his forehead against mine before pecking my lips. "I have a match… I have to go…I just…I'm sorry." He straightened up and hurried down the hall. He wasn't mad at me…he was frustrated with himself…

As he left, I felt someone grab my arm and I whipped around to face them. Cori stood there and immediately hugged me close to her. "Love…" She murmured as I hugged her back. "Hey, don't cry, sweetheart. Don't you have a promo after John's match?"

I nodded, swiping the tears away as I looked her up and down. She was wearing her ring gear, a black and green corset with a pair of jeans and her over-the-knee high heeled boots. Her Hurricane pendant hung from her neck and her hair hung in curls around her shoulders. I glanced back at the monitor where they were recapping the most recent drafts.

"I just…"

"I know. Hey, the Supplemental is coming up tomorrow." She murmured, but she knew it wouldn't help. Jay came up behind her and put an arm around her. She smiled and I couldn't help but notice. She was dating Shane, but with each passing day she spends away from him, I see her getting closer and closer to Jay. It was shocking, but I knew she would never cheat on Shane…no, she wouldn't, but lately everything was changing.

"I have to go." I stated as Jack's music hit and moments later, Christian was announced as moving to Smackdown. He smiled and rubbed my shoulder.

"Ya got me, Shay Butter…and Chris, Matt…oh and Cori. She's on Smackdown too." He grinned and went out onto the ramp as I nodded and moved to the backstage area where my segment was set to be. John stood there, stoic until the camera started rolling.

"Shay." He nodded, a small smile crossing his lips.

"John." I replied as his smile fell.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "You're on RAW, I'm on Smackdown."

"I don't know…" He murmured. "But don't worry…there's still the Supplemental draft, and raw has one more draft pick…Maybe it'll be you."

I shook my head. "The Diva's pick…already…"

"The Supplemental Draft." He stated again. "Whatever happens, we'll make it through. I promise." He murmured, taking me into a hug as he kissed my forehead. The segment ended and I pulled away. John held my face in his hand, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips. "I will always love you Shay this isn't the end. Okay? No matter what happens tomorrow, I will always love you and I will keep us together. I will never leave you, no matter what brand you're on."

I nodded, never having doubted him before. I knew he would do anything to make sure our love never dimmed, that we never broke apart. My breath hitched in my throat, going through the drafts in my head. John Morriosn to Raw. R-Truth to Raw. Edge to Raw. Christian to Smackdown. I was friends with Jay, not as close as I was with Adam or John…Then, as soon as I had recomposed myself, they had delivered the final, shattering blow to my heart. They had just announced the final draft pick.

Chris Jericho to Raw.


	29. Supplemental Draft

**I am so sorry for such a long wait. I have been super, super busy lately with final projects,seeing as it's getting pretty close to the end of the school year. My updates have been pretty slow because of that, so thank you all for being patient with me and i really appreciate it. This chapter isn't beta-read, so please cope with any spelling/grammatical errors, sorry, lol. Again, i own only Shay and Cori, please go vote on my poll if you haven't and thank you again for being so patient. I promise I'll try to write more regularly once school lets out.**_

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*Shay POV*

The Supplemental Draft didn't come fast enough. Tuesday passed like a time bomb, slowly ticking away and as I sat around the table where they were having the Supplementary Draft, I sighed and tried to control my breathing. Melina walked in, a sad smile on her face as she saw me, fighting the urge to bite my nails.

"Hun, just ask Vince if you can be drafted to Raw."

"W-what…no." I shook my head and she shrugged.

"Suit yourself." I was somewhat surprised…we had been friends before she was drafted, but I had for some reason suspected her to be somewhat hostile towards me. After all, I was dating her ex… "And no, I don't hate you for dating John." She chuckled as she took her place by the draft board. The room fell silent as they started.

My mind wandered as the names were being read off. I truly didn't expect to be drafted, what would they do with me anywhere else? Melina read the names into the speaker, and it was broadcasted throughout the arena on the monitors. When it came time for her break, she took a seat next to me. "You've changed."

"How so?"

Her shoulders shrugged. "You seem happier, better than when I last saw you…revived. "

I smiled and felt myself blush. "I suppose so." I rested my hands in my lap and brushed my bangs behind my hear.

"How's Chris, Adam….everybody?"

"Drafted to Raw." I chuckled. "Seriously, everybody who ever really cared about me is gone. Ron, Adam, Chris, John…it's all….gone."

"Hey." She said softly, patting my hand. "We still have the Supplemental Draft going on…which reminds me…" She stood up before going back to her post and reading off the next string of draftees. The door opened and Cori came in. I put my finger to my lips to quiet her and she nodded as she sat next to me. "Ladies and gentlemen…the final draftee in the 2010 Draft is….Shay Hart to Raw!"

At first I didn't believe it….it was only when both Melina and Cori hugged me that I finally grasped it.

"Love, you're going to Raw." Cori chuckled and Melina smiled.

"See? It must've been fate." Melina rubbed my shoulders and Cori hugged me again. "You're with me on Raw!"

"I know…t-this is just…wow." I smiled as my phone rang and I answered it. "Hey John."

"Hey." He sighed. "You busy?"

"Um…no, not-not really. Why?"

"Just curious. I just…I'm not really used to not seeing you in over a day."

I chuckled. "How sweet of you. Luckily, though, you won't have to wait much longer."

"And why not?" He asked.

"You'll see."

"Hmph…fine then, don't tell me." He muttered and I laughed.

"It would ruin the surprise."

"If you say so…" He chuckled and I could imagine him shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "If you say so. I gotta go, babe, love you."

"Love you too." I smiled and hung up, slipping the phone back into my pocket as Mel and Cori looked at me expectantly.

"That is so sweet, what did he say?"

"Nothing…N-nothing really." I stated as I stood up.

"Mmmhmmm." Melina smirked, unconvinced and she chuckled. "You two are so cute."

"Um…thanks."

"Seriously, though…we'll miss you." Cori hugged me again. "Me and Jay and everybody else."

"Everybody else?"

"Ya know, a lot of people like you. They're just too prideful to admit it. No go, pack your bags girlie, you have a plane to catch."

"What?"

"They ship out the draftees as soon as the drafts are over. So, toodles, darling." Cori giggled, her sweet British accent seeping out. My eyebrow rose and I just shrugged as I hugged her and Mel.

"M-my bags are already packed." I glanced downwards. "H-how much time do I have before the plane?"

"Couple hours." Mel shrugged and I grinned. "Why?"

"I-I figure I should say goodbye to some people first." I replied as I left the room and started down the hall to catering, where mostly everybody was gathered. I walked over to where Matt sat with Rey and hugged Matt from behind. He chuckled and looked over his shoulder at me.

"How may I assist you?"

"I'm just here to say goodbye." I murmured and he turned round fully in his seat.

"What?"

"I was drafted, Matt. I was actually drafted. I'm going to Raw." I replied and his eyes softened.

"Raw?" I nodded and he hugged me. He smiled. "Shay, I'll miss you, darlin'. Really will, had a lot of fun times around ya, had a lot of brilliant, unforgettable moments. Take care, doll." He hugged my tighter and kissed the top of my head. "Be careful, Snow Princess." He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as I smiled. Snow Princess was the Carolina Crew's nickname for me, for numerous reasons.

"I will, Matt. I promise." I smiled and turned around to see Rey standing up and hugging me. Shocked, I smiled shyly as he pulled away.

"Um…" I trailed off.

"Sorry, I just…it's too bad we didn't hang out more. You're a really good person, Shay." He smiled, although I could see guilt in his eyes.

"It's alright, Rey." I smiled as I hugged him and bid goodbye to the both of them before working my way to Glen's table, where he sat with a few other Superstars. Without looking he stood up, tall and looming over me and hugged me. "Glenn?"

"I already heard."

"Oh." I smiled and he hugged me tighter.

"I'll miss you."

"Glenn." I trailed off, knowing that the more people said they'd miss me, the harder it would be to leave. It was already difficult…I really didn't need it to be any harder. These people were my family, people who loved and cared for me, more than my biological family did, or seemed to at least. I knew my dad loved me, but would it kill him to show it, or at least acknowledge my presence? I sighed, blinking back tears. This was my life. Smackdown was all I ever knew, all I ever had before today. I could name every single person working backstage on Smackdown; they are the ones who usually help me when I fall, so I wound up getting to know a few. Now, I wouldn't see any of them. Unless it was a tri-branded show, I wouldn't see any of these people I had grown accustomed to…and that was hard to deal with. Years of seeing the same people everyday just vanishing in a mere hour.

However, I would also be getting away from everyone else. The ones I didn't get along with. I was being thrown into a new setting, a new environment were I barely knew the other people, seeing as we rarely worked together. Biting my lip, I shook my head, trying to get those things off my mind. "Glenn," I began again. "Please…please don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"You're making it sound like we're breaking up." He chuckled.

"I'll just…this was my home, Glenn."

"No, it wasn't. This was hell, this was hell with little safe havens and retreats along the way. This is your chance to escape from hell. Go to where your heart is and you'll find your home, and I can sure as hell tell that your heart isn't here."

Tears prickled my eyes as I hugged him once more. "Thank you so much, Glenn. For everything."

"No problem, now go on, you really don't want to be late." He smiled and I kissed his cheek before spinning around and walking back to where Mel and Cori sat. I hugged them once more and went to my rental car where my bags sat in the passenger seat. Smiling, I realized that this was indeed a good change. I'd be around Adam, Ron, Melina when she got back, Chris, John. John…the mere thought of him made me grin and I rested my head back against the headrest of my car. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of being back with him. We barely spent this long apart from each other and it was odd for me, even though it had only been a day. I'd be seeing him, and most of my friends regularly now. What could possibly go wrong.

Then, it hit me and my smile faltered. Being on RAW…where my friends where…where my dad was…and Nattie…and TJ…and DH…and Dave…

Yeah, that's what could possibly go wrong.


	30. Doubt

**Hello everybody! Thank you all for being so patient, and I'm so sorry about a recent lack of updates. I've been busy doing other things. lol. Here's another chappy of Unlikely Attractions. I'm sorry, but it's not beta read, i beleive my beta is out of town for some time, anyhoo...here it is:) I promise the chapters will be longer from now on, and that they will be more frequent and on time. Thanks again for sticking with me and being patient. Please tell me your thoughts in a review, and please enjoy the chapter. Thank you:)**_

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*Shay POV*

Pushing open the door to the arena, I drew in a deep breath, soaking in the atmosphere. I switched my duffel bag to my other arm and shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans, as I started in. This was supposed to be a new start, somewhat. I was moving to a different brand, where hardly anybody knew me. Those who did always seemed to be out on the shelf, or gone somewhere. Those who didn't were always available to torture me. It didn't make sense to me. I never understood why people targeted me specifically, I mean, Nat, and plenty of other girls were probably just like me and still, no pushing or shoving or name-calling.

Life just isn't fair, I suppose. Really, it isn't. Out of the twenty plus women working alongside me everyday, I was the one everybody liked to tease. It was normal for me, and I expected it; I had grown used to me and in fact, it just didn't bother me anymore. The more you hang around and associate yourself with something, the less it bothers you. An example would be my ex-boyfriends…I had grown used to the abuse, so I began to expect it. I began to expect it and doubt the relationships I could have with men; the relationships I could have with people. People who were close to me were the only ones I could trust.

Sighing, I bit my lip as I continued on my way into catering. The room was full of people, a crowd of coworkers that I rarely ever saw before now. Resting my hand on the brick wall, I took another step forward. My foot slipped and I felt my body give way beneath me. No…this couldn't possible be happening to me. Not here, not now. With a small yelp of surprise, I tripped and fell to the ground. My duffel bag slipping from my arm and sliding a couple feet away from me. Instantaneously, my cheeks grew hot and red and my hung my head down, shielding my budding embarrassment that was slowly, but surely blossoming into today's top moment of the day.

Wincing, I heard the raucous laughter building in the background and I squeezed my eyes shut. I wouldn't cry…no, crying was a sign of weakness. And weakness was something I couldn't afford to show. Slowly, I opened one eye and glanced around. Everyone was talking, most looking at me while they did so, and I couldn't help but overhear…

"So that's…" Alicia trailed off, looking expectantly at Stephan, who sat next to her.

"Yeah, that's her."

"That's the girl John can't shut up about?" She snorted and I smiled a little. John had been talking about me…

"Apparently." He shrugged, a smirk barely visible under the orange mustache strewn over his upper lip.

"Wow, and she's supposed to be Bret's daughter?" Alicia chuckled and shook her head.

"So, that's John's girlfriend?" Matt Korklan asked, looking up at Wade Barrett, the winner of nXT.

The big, Brit just shrugged. "Yeah, that's Shay. Chris talks about her all the time. She sounds like a nice girl."

"Yeah, if you like losers." Nat chuckled, crossing her arms over her hest as she strutted in with DH and TJ. I tentatively sat up more, pushing my hair from my face and taking in a deep breath. I stood up just as she began to pass me. In a swift motion, she jutted her foot out as I was about to take another step, sending me flying to the ground again.

I put my hands up to break my fall and I slid, on my stomach, to a stop at Wade's feet.

"Oops." Nat smirked. "Sorry, Cuz." Strutting away, each arm hooked with one of DH's and one of TJ's.

Blushing, I sat up and reaching for my duffel, only to realize it was left where I was before. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. Another person approached, and I sighed again. The last thing I needed was more people. "Wade." The person said, clapping the tall Brit on the shoulder. "Is there a problem here?" He asked, and I could recognize that voice anywhere. I had spent years listening to it, whether the words that came were of good or bad. The person behind the voice was once my savior, he was once everyone's savior.

"Um…no, no there isn't." I could imagine Wade shaking his head, even though I still refused to loom up at him.

"Really? Well, then, I think maybe you should head off to the locker room. Prepare for your match later."

"Um, yes, sir." He stated as he walked off. Now I noticed that Evan had gone off too, leaving me with him.

"Hey." The voice said in a soft whisper. A hand was extended down to me, and as I studied it, hesitant as to whether i should take it or not, I noticed something. His ring finger was lacking something; a ring. Had he actually gone through with the divorce, he never told me… "It's okay."

Slowly, I extended my hand and took his. With one, seemingly effortless and light tug, he pulled me to my feet. "You okay?" He asked, tucking a loose lock of blond hair behind my ear. "Shay, look at me." I attempted to glance away, but gently, oh-so very gently, he turned my head up to face him. Looking into his crystalline eyes, I blushed deeper.

"I-I'm fine." I nodded, clearing my throat. "I'm fine." I crossed my arms over to my chest as he smiled and put his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it gently as he walked off to the other side of catering, grabbed my bag, and brought it to me. Dropping the strap into my hand, he grinned.

"That's good."

"Thank you." I smiled back softly. "Thank you very much."

"Aw, Shay, you know me too well to have to thank me." He chuckled, glancing away from me. I knew now he was remembering that we still have not talked about the issue we had a while ago. Perhaps we had both been avoiding it.

"Still, I want to." I smiled. "My hero."

"Naw, John's your hero."

"Very well then, my protector."

He shook his head, "Nope, that's Adam." He gave me a crooked smile as we walked from catering, and down the hall.

"Alright, then…what are you?" I poked him in the shoulder.

"You really wanna know?"

"I did ask, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." He paused, as if contemplating telling me his answer or not. "Baby, I'm your Savior."

I flinched when he called me 'baby', remembering John. My boyfriend, the man I loved.

The blond beside me noticed this and bit his lip. "Sorry…I, uh…it just slipped."

"No, it's fine. It's a common nickname." I chuckled. "No need to get all worried over it."

"Hey, John's around here somewhere…" He laughed. "I just don't know where."

"Until then, I'll just hang out with you." I smiled and he put an arm over my shoulders.

"Is this alright?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes, Chris. It's fine."

_*Chris POV*_

I smiled at Shay's closeness and until she flinched, I had forgotten all about her boyfriend. She was taken. She was somebody else's, and I had missed my chance. My mind flashed back to the night I was drafted…

_I slammed into the locker room, startling the people in it. I had just witnessed the tearful goodbye between Shay and John. Her sadness broke me, made me realize that ruining their happiness would only cause her pain, something I just couldn't bear to see her in anymore. She didn't deserve more pain, what she wanted was someone who could take all the pain away, even if that person wasn't me. Shay had found that in John, and if she was happy, that was all I could ask for. "Chris?" One asked._

"_Forget it."_

"_Forget what?" The other asked as he stepped away from his locker and came towards me, sitting down next to his companion._

"_I don't want any part in it anymore." I snapped. _

"_Chris, we had a deal." The blond snickered._

"_Will…Nick." I spat. "The deal is off."_

"_Chris, you asked us to help you get with Shay. In return, you would give us a good word in with the boss. Are you trying to tell us you don't want her anymore?" Nick asked._

"_No…I still want her, but if it means hurting her, then forget it. I should never have listened to you two. You two were nothing but pricks to her anyways." I replied._

"_Chris, she deserved everything she got."_

_I whipped around, grabbed the man by his collar and thrust him into the wall before getting really close to his face. "Shut up, Dave." I growled._

_He snickered. "As you wish." He pushed me off and walked out the door. Nick stood and faced me._

"_You are seriously that in love with her? So in love you don't care if she's with another man, just as long as she's happy?"_

_Calming my breathing, I nodded. "Yeah."_

_Shaking his head, he silently walked away._

"Yoo-hoo…Chris?" I snapped back to the present and turned to look at Shay.

"Yeah?"

She giggled, and I couldn't help but smile. Here, before me was the most beautiful woman in the world and I couldn't have her. Every sound, every word…every time her eyes sparkled up at me, I was hooked. "Well, now that I have your attention…" She trailed off. "I was just wondering if maybe…you'd like to join me for lunch or something."

"Aren't you, like, attached to John's hip or something?"

"On the contrary, I am not."

"Really?" My eyebrow rose.

"Yes, really, wanna feel?" She laughed, taking my hands and placing them on her hips. "See? No John."

I chuckled, feeling her soft skin beneath my fingertips. "Yup. No John whatsoever." And she was right. John wasn't anywhere near here…Smiling, I began to tickle her, working my fingers against her sides and stomach. Shay shrieked with laughter as she squirmed, but I wrapped an arm around her, preventing her escape.

"Chris!" She gasped between breaths. "I can't…breathe." Then, she was overcome by laughter once again and I couldn't help but laugh with her, seeing the pure joy spread across her face and ignite her eyes with light. "Chris."

Slowly, I stopped, and we were both panting and practically on the floor. Standing up first, I helped her stand. "Déjà vu?" I asked as she giggled again.

"Somewhat." She grinned and hugged me, wrapping her arms tightly around me and pressing her body against me. Hesitantly, I hugged her back. Pulling back, she swept stray hair away from her face.

"Shay?" We both turned to see John standing there and instantly, Shay stepped back.

"Hey, J-John." She blushed.

"What's going on here?" He asked and Shay stepped towards him.

"Chris was just walking me back to my locker room, I fell in catering and he helped me up."

He nodded, not seeming to be entirely convinced.

"Really, she, uh-um…" I trailed off, but nodded. "She actually was tripped." Shay gave me a look that clearly stated that she didn't want me to tell him. "But she's alright."

"Who tripped her?" John asked.

"I, uh…didn't see. I wasn't there when it happened." I explained and he nodded. "But she's fine now, perfectly fine. No bumps, scrapes or bruises." I was nervous. How much had he seen and what conclusions did he draw? Suspicion glinted in his eyes and I bit my lip and looked away. I really didn't need this kind of drama right now; her boyfriend suspecting us of something…

"Well, thank you, for, um, walking her this far. I think I can take it from here." He smiled and lent his hand out to Shay, who took it. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek. My chest tightened and I nodded.

"No problem, have a nice day, Shay. John." I smiled and waved before turning around and walking in the other direction.

_*John POV*_

"What happened in the hall?" I asked, but immediately mentally kicked myself. I sounded nosy…and suspicious. But didn't I have a right to be? I just saw my girlfriend having a tickle fight with one of her best guy friends, then watching them hug…it all looked suspicious. I trusted her, yes I did. I just didn't trust him.

"Nothing, really. We were just talking."

Talking…

"Really?"

She turned around and looked at me. "Yes, John. Friend's talk."

"But you two were fighting the last time you were together." I pointed out.

"We still have to work that out, but until then, if we can have civil conversation, I'll surely jump o-on that chance." Shay explained as we entered the locker room.

"Okay."

"Why are you so worked up over this?" I questioned.

"I'm not worked up." I defended and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mmmhmm." She murmured, walked up behind me and kissed the back of my neck. Chills washed over me and millions of tiny shockwaves down my spine.

"I'm sorry." I whispered and she smiled. I turned around to face her.

"It's alright." She replied, kissing me.

"I just haven't seen you and…"

"John." She smiled. "It's fine…really."

But was it?


	31. Fear

**Hello everybody, here is another chappy of Unlikely Attractions. I am so sorry for yet another long wait, I've just...been losing my muse, I suppose and I've recently been undergoing some...personal issues. And i have family coming in soon, so that may halt Updates for a little bit. Um, I only own Shay and I would like to thank all of you for your support and love, it means a lot to me. Thank you for everything, guys. Sorry for any errors, i didn't get this chapter beta-read. Please read, review, and enjoy:)Please check on my profile for some updates that you should be aware of. Thanks again:)**_

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*John POV*

I groaned and flopped down on the couch, feeling the beating California sun wash down on me through my living room window, as if I was a tiny ant, set up for execution under a magnifying glass. Too lazy to get up, I stayed on the couch, laying down on the cushions and trying to relax.

"If you stay there for too long, you'll get a sunburn and I will smack it on purpose."

I opened one eye and saw a curtain of blond hair and the prettiest bluish green eyes. I groaned and shut my eyes again, wincing slightly as a weight moved onto my chest and abdomen. "What the?" I opened both eyes to see Shay straddling me, her hands braced against the arm of the couch. Putting my hands on her waist, I smiled as the sunlight hit her hair. Golden blond waves cascaded over her shoulders and brushing against my chest. "Shay…"

"I told you to get up." She stated calmly, smirking down at me. "You know, I kind of like it when you sunbathe shirtless."

"I wasn't sunbathing."

"Oh please, you were sunbathing more than my cat."

"You have a cat?" I questioned, not aware of this. How did I not know that she had a cat?

"Yeah."

"Let me guess…Fluffy? Snowball? Madam Pluff?"

"Um, Jericho."

"What?"

"My cat's name is Jericho." She repeated and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Her cat's name was Jericho, probably a homage to Chris.

"You and Chris are pretty close, eh?"

"John, he was there when no one else was. Like Adam and Jay." Shay explained, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"And he left. He totally ignored your existence."

"I'm sure he had his reasons, and we're going to talk about those reasons soon."

"You are way too trusting of him, way too soon." I replied, and I part of me thought I was right. They would argue, then be friends again, then argue some more. It was like a vicious cycle and it could keep going and going, and going. Shay sighed, a light, heavenly sound.

"John." She whispered, dipping down to press her lips against mine. "Relax."

"The other week he was all over you."

"He was helping me to the locker room." She stated. "Just, tell me how you feel about it."

"I don't trust him." I stated bluntly. "You wanted the truth about how I feel, and there it is. "

Shay nervously bit her lip and swept a loose lock of hair away from her face. As she sat back up, it fell into her face again. A small, flustered sigh slipped form her lips again. "John…"

"I know, I know…I just, don't like him very much. He's cocky and arrogant, and he's hurt you in the past. How do you know he won't do it again?"

"I have faith in him, and he's been with me for the better part of my life." Shay stated again. She looked like she was about to say something else when her phone rang. Digging it out of her pocket, she looked at the caller ID and a small smile crossed her face. "John…"

"It's okay, go on and answer it." I smiled, kissing her cheek.

Pressing a button, she put the phone to her ear. "Hey…Chris." She said, trailing off a little and glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. Rolling my eyes, I rested my hands against her hips and ran fingers along her soft, glowing skin. Leaning up as best as I could, I kissed her collarbone. Trailing kisses along her neck and jaw line, I saw her chest and stomach clench, her body tensing as she bit her lip. A slight sound slipped past her lips, a soft whimper.

"Oh, I-I'm fine Chris." She cleared her throat, the muted stutter cutting into the sentence. Kissing her shoulder, I smiled. "I'm just sitting here with…John." She squirmed, trying to get off of me so I wouldn't 'tease' her. "No, I'm not busy." She glanced down at me and I shrugged innocently. "Yeah, I know we have to fly out tomorrow, can't wait to see you. California? Eh, it's okay." She smirked down on me as she said that and I rolled my eyes. "I like it, just…pretty much the same as the other states. Remember? I'm not American, so…I don't really have a bias on a favorite state. No, New York is not my favorite, I don't have a favorite. Province? Um…don't have one either. You're asking how I can be Canadian and _not _have a favorite province? And I'm telling you, it's all the same to me. No, it doesn't mean I don't have a favorite place in the world. I in fact, do have a favorite place." she chuckled and I raised my eyebrow at her. "My favorite place is wherever you guys are. You, Adam, Jay, John…I love it. Does that answer your question, Christopher?"

I could hear his chuckle on the other end and I sighed. Yeah, Chris wasn't exactly my favorite person in the world, and the fact that he was so close to my girlfriend didn't exactly make me feel any better either. Running a hand through my hair, I looked away from her and the phone and out to the window. Something burned through my veins, something fiery and hot. Jealousy? It clawed at me, tugging at my heart and mind, imprinting in my head. She was laughing now too, something that he had said.

This couldn't be happening, not to me…I could already feel her slipping, as if her heart wasn't in sync with mine anymore, as if she was slowly falling out of love with me. Something had changed, something in her eyes, in the walk she walked and talked. It screamed at me, a huge spotlight shining on the situation. I could see it.

Part of me told me that it was just my imagination. That it was just the jealousy speaking and that it made me paranoid, capable of seeking out clues that I though was evidence, but in reality, it was irrelevant. She wasn't falling out of love with me. If she was, she'd be distant, avoiding me as if I had the plague. She'd be jumping at any chance to be away from me, she wouldn't have come to California with me. She wouldn't be snuggled up to me every night, wouldn't make love with me…She would be building a wall and shutting me out the way she had when we had first really met. And that was one thing I would not let happen. No way in hell would I allow her to shut me out and put me back on square one. I loved her, with the deepest, most burning intensity that I have ever felt and her love was the only thing that kept me above water. It was my rock, she was my rock and I couldn't let her get away.

Yet, there was another part of me. A part deep, deep within my mind that couldn't be ignored, no matter how hard I tried or wanted to. It told me that she was slipping, farther and farther away from me and there was no way to get her back to me. I had no idea where it was coming from. I was jealous of Chris, and how close he was to her but I was also jealous of Adam, and Jay, and Matt, and every single person who was let into her heart, to the even deeper recesses than what I was allowed. She let them in deeper, into her darkest, scariest secrets that she kept tucked away from the world.

It was hard to admit, that there were people closer to her than I was, but it was true. It was a privilege of knowing her for years, having countless memories and chances to earn her trust to the highest extent. Shay was a locked box, and few held a key to open her and see her fears, worries, hopes and dreams. Long ago she had closed herself up, hesitant to trust, but capable of extreme loyalty to those she did trust. I was one of those people, but I couldn't help but feel like I was losing my place with her.

The way she talked with Chris, the blissful ease she had around him and his affect on her; it was annoying to me. It baffled me, the way she trusted him, regardless of the pain he put her through. It was a fear of mine; losing her. Having her brush me off as nothing more than a memory, a small section of light and joy amongst all the pain. It was something that haunted me in my sleep, that at any second, she could change her mind and leave me. She had other people who loved her, and she would never be alone in this world.

It was but one of my many fears about Shay, most of them I had yet to conquer. But now, I was on the road to my worst fear. The fear that haunted me more than any other, poking and stabbing at my mind and spreading the dark, cold worry. It was the fear that she was falling in love with Chris.

And somehow, I knew it was coming true.


	32. Cheat

**Hey guys, sorry for such a long wait. For a while, I had a huge block of writer's block. School's started, and I've just gotten overwhelmingly busy. Thank you to all who have stuck with me through it, and I will try and update as soon as I can. Updates will be slow, that I know for sure. This story is coming into a close, only a couple more chapters at best, heheh, the end of an era, I suppose. So please stay tuned for that and thank you all again. I only own Shay, and please read, review, and enjoy:D**_

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*John POV*

We're on a team together? Seriously?" I muttered, rolling my eyes as I entered the locker room after Raw. I had just found out that Chris and I were on the same team to stand up to the Nexus. Great. I am teaming with the man who's plotting to take my girlfriend away from me, how could this get any worse?

"Um, I guess we are." Chris shrugged. "Got a problem with that?"

"No." I lied. "Just…surprised, that's all." Another lie.

"Oh. Well, it'll only be for a couple weeks." He said, packing up his bag after he had changed from his suit to a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt. I fought the urge to cringe. If he was planning on stealing Shay away from me, it would be one of the oddest couplings I've ever seen. Wasn't he, like, 9 years her senior? "So, where's Shay?"

Figures he'd ask about her. "Probably getting ready to leave, why?"

"No reason." Again, he shrugged. "Just…curious. Is she okay?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" I asked.

"Well, she just seemed…flustered when I spoke to her on the phone the other day."

I smirked, remembering the moment very, very well. "She was just…busy, like she said." I chuckled and looked up, seeing an unmistakable glare flash in the eyes of Adam and Chris. Before anyone could say anything, a light rapping came at the door.

"I-is everyone, um…decent?" The voice asked and Ron smiled.

"Yeah, suga, you can come in." He opened the door for her and she leaned up, giving him a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was great to see her breaking out of her shell even more, gradually becoming less and less shy in public. She was just…metamorphosed, like a fresh summer butterfly bursting out of her cocoon after a long spring. Shay walked over to me, putting an arm around my waist and kissing me.

"You know, you don't look half bad with a little…facial hair." She chuckled, tracing my jaw line and slight stubble.

"If you two are going to make out, please, take it to another locker room." Adam cut in and Shay smiled, hugging him and Chris.

"Relax, Addy." She ruffled his hair and he gasped before wrapping an arm around her waist and tucking her in close to him. "I got her, Chris." He laughed, ruffling her hair the same way she ruffled his, making a flurry mess of golden blond hair on her head. Laughing, she squirmed against his grip. "Adam! Chris, help me."

I coughed slightly at the gesture, how his name was the first she called. Maybe they were closer than I had expected. No…she wasn't in love with him, she didn't fall in love easily. "John!." My head snapped up to look at Mike, who shook his head. "Dude, pay attention."

"Oh, sorry. Heh…So what do you need?" I asked as I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Shay, who had freed herself from Adam's grip. Chris had put an arm around her.

"I need you, to come with me." Mike stated, rolling his eyes. "Sorry Shay, I'm gonna have to steal your boyfriend away for a few minutes."

Shay chuckled. "It's okay, Mike. Just make sure he behaves." He laughed and ran a ahnd over his hair.

"Don't worry, I will."

"Hey, Shay? Can I talk to you for a minute, in private?" Chris asked and Shay nodded, following him out the door. I clenched my hands and I felt my shoulders tense up. Praying that Mike wouldn't take forever, I focused back on him.

"What do you need?"

"I need your help, with a girl. Well, a woman." He chuckled, and went on.

_*Chris POV*_

I walked with Shay down the hall and around a corner, where she stopped. "Chris, what did you want to talk about?"

"Us."

Her eyebrow rose. "Us?"

"Well, what's been happening lately. Are you happy with John?" She was about to answer when Adam rounded the corner too.

"Shay, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Um, I'm kind of in the middle of something-"

"No, it's alright, it can wait. Go on, Shay." I put on a smile as she sighed.

"You sure?"

"Yes, it's fine." I ran a hand through my hair as she followed Adam away. A sigh passed my lips as I nervously wrung my hands together. I was going to do it, I was going to tell Shay how I felt about her. How her smile instantly brightened my day, how she is my safety blanket; my escape. Today would be the day I told her I loved her. I was sick of hiding it, tired of playing the friend charade, exhausted from constantly building up a façade to hide behind; I wasn't going to lie to her anymore. She had every right to know, hell, she needed to know; otherwise it would drive me crazy.

_*Shay POV*_

As Adam pulled me away, I bit my lip. "Yes Adam?"

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?" He asked, his eyebrow raised, both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes. The jade green orbs were full of emotions, concern and tiny hues of frustration reflected in his eyes.

"I-I don't understand…What are you talking about, Adam?"

He sighed, taking one hand and running it through his hair and over his face. "Listen, please Shay…Do you love John?"

"Of course I do." I answered.

"Do you love Chris?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

He shook his head and pulled me into a hug, kissing my temple. "Just…be careful, Shay."

"Alright." I replied, kissing his cheek. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Alright." He nodded, smiling a little. "Bye, Shay."

I walked back to Chris, confused over what had just happened with Adam. It didn't make any sense, why he would question me like that? "So, what did you want to know?"

Chris looked as though he was going to reply, but stopped short. "Damn, Shay…I…I love you."

_*John POV*_

_I stood waiting for Shay impatiently. It felt like I was being way to possessive, as if I was letting my imagination run wild and my phobias take hold of my life. I was afraid of losing Shay, of having her turn to Chris rather than me, having him hold her and tell her everything was alright. But shouldn't I also be afraid of Adam? Of Matt or Jay? _

_Someone stood beside me and I glanced down at the person before I rolled my eyes. "What, Michelle?"_

"_She's in love with him."_

"_With who?"_

"_Chris, John. Your precious Shay has fallen for another prince."_

"_Excuse me?" I asked, taken aback by her bluntness._

"_You heard me." She snickered. Her hand rested on my shoulder as she leaned up. "And if you ever need someone, I'm always open." She whispered in my ear as she sashayed off. Shaking my head, I walked away to where Shay was. Coming to the corner, I stopped, eavesdropping on them as they spoke._

"_Damn, Shay…I…I love you." Chris said, desperation in his voice. _

"_I know, Chris."_

"_No, not like that, Shay. Shay Elizabeth Hart, I am in freaking love with you."_

"_I love you too, Chris."_

_That was all I needed to hear. Shudders racked my body, and I felt sick. My heart clenched in my chest as lava swept through my veins, feeding streams of fire throughout my body. This was what it came down to. She had fallen for him, she had fallen in love with Chris and would go to him. _

_And she'd do it without the decency to break up with me first._

_Turning away, I stalked down the hall, taking out my cell phone and dialing the number as I went._

"_Hey, Michelle? Yeah, it's John. I'll be taking you up on your offer." Hanging up, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. Two could play the cheating game._


	33. Pain

**I'm bbbaaaaack:D Finally, I update Unlikely Attractions. I'm sorry for the long absence, I've been doing a lot and taking care of personal issues, but I am back now;) Oh my, there are only one or two more chapters after this one:(, oh no! But fear not, let's enjoy it while we can, besides, there might be a sequel;) Anywho, I only own Shay and the idea for this story, nothing else. So please sit back, enjoy, read and review. I love you all lots, you're what brought me back here. With love, Kiwi.**

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_*Shay POV*_

I bit my lip. "I love you, Chris." I put a hand on his cheek. "But not like I love John."

Chris looked straight into my eyes, gulping down a breath. "I understand." His eyes turned downcast, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Probably not." I stated honestly, frowning as he moved away from me. "Chris…"

"I'll uh, go now."

"Can you at least wait a minute?" He stopped, standing and looking at me. "Chris, you're my best friend. I don't want to lose you. Don't leave me over this. I lost you once."

"It was my fault, just like now. I let my thoughts, and my feelings get in the way, and what happens? I get burned. I play with fire and I get burned. I don't want to get in between you and John."

I sighed. "How would this get in between John and me?"

"I..I can't be around you two, when you're together. I just can't." He replied, running a hand through his hair. "I can't keep myself from loving you."

"Chris…I know you've never liked John…"

"Whether I like the guy or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you're happy. The moment he causes you pain, I want you to know that I'll be right here." He assured me, kissing my forehead. "I have to go, I'll see you later Shay." He gave me a hug as he moved away, leaving me in the hallway.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. My watch read nine o'clock P.M.. It was time to get back to the hotel, tomorrow was going to be a long day. I quickly swung by the locker room to grab my bag before going out to the parking lot. Scanning the cars, I found John's. Reaching the driver's side, I contemplated leaving. I hadn't seen John on my way out. Balancing my bags in one arm, I reached into my pocket to grab my phone. Dialing the all-too-familiar number, I listened to the ringing.

The tone droned on and on before I heard his voice.

"Hey…"

"Johnny…" I began, but was cut off.

"I'm not in right now, but leave a message and I'll ring you back, promise." The voicemail prompt began.

"John, I-I'm heading towards the hotel, just so you know where I am. No need to worry." I chuckled. "I'll see you soon, alright? Love you, babe." Shutting the phone, I slipped it into my pocket and shoved my bags into the trunk. John had left me an extra key, just in case I needed it. Getting into the car, I ignored the nagging feeling in my heart that things weren't right; that something was very, very wrong.

I shook it off, as I had previously done. I didn't want, much less need something to go wrong right now, especially since everything had been going right for so long. "It's bound to happen, Shay. It always happens, there isn't much that can be done about that." I muttered to myself, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of the parking garage.

Chris had just told me he loved me, but I couldn't reciprocate the feelings; not the way he wanted me to. My heart was with John, nothing would change that. I still couldn't help but wonder why this happened. In the long run, it may fade and we'll go on like normal. But if it didn't…I shook my head; I didn't want to even go into that. I'd spent too long wallowing in what could happen, rather than enjoying what was happening at this very moment. Nick and Dave left me that way, scarred and afraid of the future; afraid of the people in it.

Still, I was conflicted about Chris. It had come as a shock to me. Why would he reveal that? I knew he never really cared for John, I wasn't surprised. He never liked any of my boyfriends. Maybe that was why he never liked them; they took me away from him. Shaking it from my thoughts, I drove until I reached the hotel. Finding a parking spot, I stopped the car and folded my arms across the steering wheel.

Thoughts muddled my brain. I didn't know what to think of him. He'd always be someone to me, someone special. The possibility of losing him again would kill me. He was one of my life rafts, a vital part of me that made me who I was. Would he disappear again, like he did before? How long has he felt that way about me? So many questions, and so little answers.

I got out, grabbing my bags as I locked the door and entered the lobby. Strolling up to the front desk, I asked for my room.

"Room 234? Oh, yeah, a gentleman and a woman came in an hour or so ago, asking for that room."

"John Hennigan?" I asked, to which the clerk nodded. "We're sharing a room." I stated, wondering who he had been with. "Um, do you remember who he was with?"

"Some blond." The clerk shrugged. "He just told me to give him the key."

"Oh," I said softly, stepping back. "C-can I have another key?"

"Well, you are on the room list with him. What's your name?"

"Shay Hart." I stated, tapping my nails on the counter as he worked at the computer. "I'm his girlfriend."

"By the end of the night, you probably won't be." He murmured, handing me a key. "Have a…nice night, miss."

"You too, sir." I gave a small smile and a wave as I made my way up the stairs.

Who was he with? That was my main question. Why hadn't he told me he already left, and why hadn't he answered his phone? Okay, now I was starting to freak myself out. It couldn't be bad. He was in the shower, the blond was…okay maybe that one couldn't be easily explained. There were few blond women on the roster, and I was pretty sure none of them were friends with John. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I rested my back against the hallway wall.

It was probably nothing. The forced reminder spun in my head as I drew in a breath. It had to be nothing. It had to be…My mind drifted off, proving to me how truly tired I was, and how much I desperately wanted sleep; needed sleep. The bags in my arms suddenly felt heavy. "See? You've exhausted yourself, Shay. Over what? Nothing. You're working yourself up for absolutely nothing." I mumbled, continuing down the hallway. I walked until I saw the 230s.

"231...232..233.." I yawned, blinking. All I wanted to do was curl up against John's chest and sleep.

"234, here we go." I smiled, knowing that John was on the other side. I slid the keycard by the sensor and turned the knob, pushing the door open. Flicking on the light, I noticed what was going on.

I had found John. And the blond he was with was Michelle. He pulled away from kissing her neck as I came in.

"J-John?" I whispered, a hand covering my mouth in shock .

Michelle smirked, holding her head up with one hand, while the other held the sheets to her chest. John looked up at me, the briefest glint of satisfaction shimmered in his eyes.

"What the hell John?" I asked, body shaking as I tried to catch my breath.

"You cheated on me." He replied bluntly. "You're in love with Chris. Don't deny it, Shay. I heard what you said to him earlier."

"You heard wrong, John." I replied, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Chris told me he loved me, and I said I loved him, but not like I love you. But seriously, Michelle? That is a slap to the face."

The satisfaction vanished from his face, being replaced by guilt. "Shay…I-I."

"Don't, John." I stopped him. "Please, just…don't."

"Hear me out, please." He stood, wrapping a sheet around his waist as he fumbled to put on his boxers. "It won't happen again."

"I've heard that one before." I stated.

"I'm not like them, Shay. Shay, I…I love you."

"Well, you have a fucked up way of showing it." I replied, surprising myself at my colorful language. John moved towards me, reaching for my hand. I retracted it out of his grasp, shaking my head. "I trusted you…I loved you and I opened up to you, and what do I get from it? Another ass who turns me out, and leaves me." My shoulders shook, but I bit back tears. Crying was weakness, and I couldn't afford be weak anymore. It only caused me more trouble than it was worth.

"I'm sorry, Shay. I misunderstood…I…thought you said you loved Chris. I see the way he looks at you, how close you two are, and how he's just praying for us to have a fight and break up."

"Well, looks like his prayers will be answered." I moved forward towards John. His eyes reflected sadness, guilt, and fear. I looked away from him, I was disgusted. He had done exactly what he promised he'd never do. He'd hurt me, perhaps more so than Nick or Dave. It was one thing to be brutalized into pain, to be so painstakingly fearful of love that you shied away from anyone who would come close; and it was a completely different thing to have your heart broken by someone who'd sworn to never hurt you.

His mouth dropped open. "Shay…"

"Save it, John. I'm serious. You can't fix this so easily, John.." I was cut off as he took my face in his hands and kissed me.

Pulling away, he held my chin in his hand. "I'm sorry, Shay."

"I can't do this, John." I pulled away from him, looking away as I walked towards the door. "I'm going now, John." I started out the door. He followed me. Standing in the hallway, I avoided his gaze.

"Shay, please, don't do this. Shay…Shay, I love you. I really do, and you know that."

"John, you cheated on me…you jumped to a conclusion and it was your goal to hurt me." I snapped back at him.

"I didn't mean for you to walk in…"

"None of them ever do." I picked up my bags and pulled out my phone.

"I'm sorry…" He repeated, nearly pleading.

"For Christ's sake, John. You can't fuckin' apologize and expect me to fall into your arms. Things don't work that way…I don't work that way. I have way too much going on in my head, right now. I can't deal with this too. Just, leave me be, alright? Leave me alone."

People had come out of their rooms at the commotion. My face flushed a deep scarlet. I always hated being the cause of a commotion. John paused and opened his mouth to speak. I ignored him, turning around and walking away. My walk broke into a jog as tears streamed down my face. I couldn't help it. I had fallen into a state of weakness, like I always did.

I stopped running when I reached the room Adam sais he was going to be in. He answered the door a few seconds later and took one look at my face before his eyebrows knit forward in anger. "Shay…what happened?"

"C-Can I stay with you for the night, please Adam?"

He nodded, placing a hand on the small of my back and pulling me into a tight hug. Adam kissed the top of me head, rubbing my back affectionately. "You know you don't have to ask." He murmured, letting me in as he closed the door behind him.


	34. Crash

**Here we are, ladies and gents. This is the second to last Chapter of Unlikely Attractions...sad face:( The story is coming to an end, and I'm so thankful for all of you who stayed faithful to this story. I love you all:) I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar errors, I'm impatient and thought y'all waited long enough for another chapter. So, here it is. I hope you all enjoy, read, and review;) I do not own anyone aside from Shay, we know the . **

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_**Shay POV**_

I sat with Adam's arm around me, as I buried my head into his shoulder and cried. He rubbed my arm gently, whispering against my temple before he kissed the top of my head. "I am so stupid." I mumbled.

"No, Shay, you're not."

"Y-You guys...you said you k-knew he was going to hurt me." I stated. "And I didn't listen."

"Shay," Adam sighed, "we didn't _know_. We had a feeling, but we weren't certain. And you're not an idiot. You were following what you wanted to do. Yeah, sure, we didn't like him much, why would we? Everybody else who got that close to you hurt you, what made him any different. We didn't want this to happen, not like this. We didn't want you to get hurt."

"I know. I-I just...I'm sick and tired of it. I'm sick of getting hurt..."

"We're sick of you getting hurt." He chuckled slightly and I looked up at him. "Jay, Chris, and I." He explained. "Let's talk about something else. I know you're hurting, but it may help to take your mind off of it." I nodded. "Alright, then..." He paused, in deep thought for a moment. "Damn...there isn't much is there?"

"No." I chuckled, wiping a stray tear away. He smiled, resting his chin atop my head. "Adam...thank you, for everything."

"No need to thank me." He looked down at me, brushed a lock of stray hair behind my ear and cleared his throat. "Seriously, you know I'd do anything for you. And everything."

"Can I stay with you for awhile?"

"Of course." He said without hesitation. He fell silent for a while, and I sighed.

"Adam."

"Yeah."

"There's something else on your mind, isn't there?" I prodded, knowing he was acting a little too calm.

"I just can't believe he'd do that, you know? I mean, we didn't want him to hurt you. We, for a short time, thought he was truly different than the others. He could've just broken up with you, but no, he has to go out and cheat..." He bit his lip he shook his head. "I just don't understand why he went that far. It's one thing to break somebody's heart, and a completely different thing to do it by cheating." He cast his eyes away from mine. "It ruins lives, friendships, trust...everything can be ruined if you handle it wrong. He handled it wrong. Trust me, I..." Adam stopped, and looked at me. "He doesn't deserve you. Not after what he just pulled."

"Adam...please don't."

"I'm just sayin', you should forget about him. And let me take care of him."

"Adam." I stated adamantly. "D-don't. Please...y-you know I don't take well to v-violence." Adam sighed and put an arm around me.

"I just want to make you feel better."

"Then just be there for me."

Adam pulled me into a hug, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. I felt him nod and kiss the top of my head. "I will, Shay. I promise."

A bright, blinding light awakened me and I groaned. I heard a sharp smack. "Shut the blinds, ass. You'll wake her up."

"I'm sorry I can't control the sun." Another voice scoffed and I sighed as I propped myself up onto my elbows, rubbing a hand over my face and through my hair. The two looked at me, looks of concern ebbed onto their faces.

"Shay..." They both said in unison, simultaneously moving to kneel beside me. "How are you?"

"Christ...you two still do everything in unison?" I muttered.

A small smile tugged at Jay's face. "Not everything."

"Only some things." Adam finished.

"Ah, finishing each others sentences." I shook my head.

"You never answered our question." Jay stated softly. "How are you?"

"Um.." I paused, "not too good." I sat up fully and drew my knees to my chest. "B-but...I'll get through it."

"That's...good." Adam murmured. "That's good." He repeated himself. "We...we have to leave soon, Shay. Will you be alright?"

"I'm not a ch-child, Ad. I''ll be fine." I gave him a weak smile as my phone rang.

Jay reached over and grabbed it. "Hennigan." He frowned, his eyebrows scrunching as his voice filled with spite. "What the hell does he want? You wanna talk to him?"

Silently, I shook my head 'no', and watched as he set the phone back and returned his attention to me. "G-Guys, you don't have to be here. Well...I understand Adam, this is his room, after all; but Jay, I'm sure there's something more important. I'm fine, guys."

"Shay." Jay started. "I..." He was cut off by my phone ringing again. His hand reached out to grab it, even though all three of us knew who it was. Adam rolled his eyes and Jay frowned. "You sure you're fine?"

"Jay, i-it's nothing I can't...or haven't handled before." Okay...that was a lie. It was similar to my past experiences, but by no means was it the same; and I hadn't ever dealt with a cheater before. I never had to sit there and watch a phone vibrate with texts and calls from someone who had taken your heart and ran away. It had always been different before. Before, I never had that deep emotional bond. Nick and Dave never had that...that spark, that fire that I felt with John. They were magnets, drawing me towards them against my will, but John...John was fire; a warm retreat from the coldness I felt around me. But the saying ran true. You play with fire, and you get burned.

I felt a warmth build up in my eyes and I quickly clenched my jaw and bit the inside of my cheek. The tears couldn't fall. Not now, not while Adam and Jay were watching me curiously, eyes sparkling with a tender concern for a friend.

"Shay?" Jay asked and I looked up at him. "We..we have to go now. Um, Vince just called and..."

"I-I know." I said softly, the words barely brushing past my lips. Jay leaned in more, making sure the sound he heard were actual words. "I-it's okay." I stated, slightly louder. "I understand." The looks on both their faces clearly told me they didn't believe a word of it. "I'll be fine, Jay...Adam. T-trust me."

"Call us if you need us. We should be back soon." Adam gave me a brief smile. I returned it as they shrugged their coats on. The two hesitated, Adam's hand on the doorknob, and turned to give me a last look.

"Guys. Go. I-I'll be fine by myself here."

"Alright." Adam twisted the knob. The uncertainty in his voice stood out and I watched in silence as they left the room, shutting the door behind them. I waited, at least until their footsteps disappeared, to let the tears fall. My back curled as my arms wrapped themselves tighter around my knees. The tears fell, rolling off my cheeks and splattering the bedspread with darker spots. Shivers ran down my spine as my shoulders shook.

My breath came in short, soft sobs and I closed my eyes. "Why me?" I asked no one in particular. I was the only one in here, free to release my thoughts into the open air, and let them fall back on me; a harsh shove into reality.

"I know why." I smirked. "Because it always happens to me. I'm not that lucky." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the time. "1 in the afternoon. They shouldn't have let me sleep in so long." I murmured. I turned onto my side, clutching the pillow to my chest. I should get out of bed, but was it worth it? The trickle of tears slowed to a stop and I lay there for a while, watching the hours tick by slowly. Three o'clock; I should be getting up, it was getting ridiculous laying in bed all day. Shuffling towards the bathroom, I flicked on the light and stood to face the mirror.

I looked like hell, plain and simple. My hair was a mess, unkempt and wild. I was paler than I normally was; red, puffy, nearly sunken eyes hugged by dark circles; signals that I didn't get any actual sleep last night. The pathways of my tears were still clearly evident on my cheeks. Deathly ill...that's what I looked like. That, or heartbroken, and I would've bet my salary it was the latter. Slowly, I turned on the water and cupped my hands beneath it. Splashing the cold water on my face, I let the sudden coolness drench my hot cheeks. Flicking excess water off my fingertips, I shut the water off and patted my face dry.

My phone rang again, and I went to answer it, against my better judgment.

"Hello?" I asked softly.

"SHAY!" John stated, alarmed. "You're...you answered. I was worried...you didn't answer before."

"I was asleep." I replied. His voice was already bringing tears back to my eyes. "I don't want to talk to you, John. I'm answering to tell you that."

"Shay..." John drawled on. "I'm sorry. I really am. It'll never happen again."

"John...it's not that easy. Hell, I shouldn't even be talking to you now. I can't forget what you did, John."

"Can you at least hear me out? Shay..." I thought for a moment, trying to decide what I should do. Hearing him out would only be hearing last night over again. Biting my lip, I leaned against the end table. "Please...meet me tonight. I-I need to talk to you."

His words hung in the air as a silence crawled in. I stood there, contemplating. Everything had come crashing down, the past months were falling. They had been my castle, my safe haven. Things had been practically perfect, and now it was crumbling to ruins. This might be a chance to rebuild what was left, but what if it couldn't be fixed? I realized several minutes must've passed because John cleared his throat.

"Sh-Shay?" He asked tentatively. "You there?"

"Y-yeah." I choked out. "Sure." I said quickly. "W-what time?"

"Seven. I'm so sorry, babe."

"D-don't call me that. A-and, save the apology." I replied. "W-where?"

"Outside our – my room?" He asked and I nodded.

"S-sure." I stated. "I-I have to go now, John." I dismissed him and ended the call before setting the phone down. Falling back onto the bed, I stared at the ceiling, picking patterns out of the pasty beige paint. What had I done? I wormed myself into a mess that wasn't going to clear up anytime soon. John didn't give up easily, he never did. He didn't give up winning me over, and he wasn't about to give me up so easily. He'd go down with a fight.

Jay and Adam returned around six o'clock, and as they entered, I sat up. "H-hey guys." I smiled weakly, nervous at how they'd take the fact that I was going to see John later. I had half a mind to lie to them, but I couldn't. I couldn't , not when they had been there for me for so long. "I need to t-tell you something."

"Yeah?" Jay asked uncertain, taking his coat off and draping it on the coffee table.

"Um...J-John called." I began, and Adam cut me off.

"What did he want?"

"He wants m-me to meet him tonight." The words barely left my lips before Jay cut in.

"Not happenin'." He shook his head. "Not even twenty-four hours ago he broke your heart. You don't need to hear him out anymore. He screwed up, big time, Shay."

"His side of the story..."

"Really isn't all too good, if you ask me. He screwed up, Shay. He jumped to conclusions, and look what happened." Adam stated and I sighed as I stood up.

"I'm going, g-guys. Whether you like it, o-or not. I-if it turns out to be a mistake, I'll l-learn from it."

Adam turned to Jay, then looked back at me. "We can't keep you from going." He bit his lip. "We don't like it, but we can't stop you."

"T-thanks...I suppose." I walked over to grab my coat and slid it on. "I need to meet him at s-seven." I paused. "What h-held you two up so long?"

They looked at each other, then at me. "We'll tell you later." The two said in unison. I smiled and hugged them both, kissing each of them on the cheek.

"I-I should be going."

"Be careful, Shay." Adam whispered to me.

"Always." I answered, leaving the two behind as I left the room. I walked back down to the room I had previously shared with John and knocked on the door. He pulled the door open and stepped back, startled.

His eyes were bloodshot, red and tired. "Shay..." He murmured. "Let's...let's go." John smiled as he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

"W-what? Where are we going?" I asked, jogging to keep up with him.

"A drive." We walked to the lobby.

"To?"

"Wherever." He shrugged and I sighed as we reached the parking lot.

"I-I never agreed to this." I stated. "I-I'm not too sure, John...about this..." I trailed off as he lead me to the car.

"C'mon Shay..." He chuckled. "Please get in the car...I need to talk to you."

"We can talk out here." I replied.

"No!." He yelled. "No." He repeated quieter. "Driving calms me down. Besides, I'm taking you somewhere quiet. The park. Remember? You love the park." He got this lost, forlorn look in his eye, before snapping back to reality.

"J-John...are you alright?" I asked, concerned. This wasn't normal, something was wrong with him.

"Fine...just...heartbroken."

"J-John..." I began, but he cut me off.

"We can talk on the way." He opened the door for me and I got in, crossing my arms over my chest as he shut the door and got in on his side. John revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. The car zoomed down the highway and off onto a slightly deserted road.

_**John POV**_

Shay glanced at the speedometer and a look of concern washed over her face. She took a deep breath in and her nose scrunched up. "D-do you smell...John? A-are you drunk?" She asked incredulously.

"No." I stated quickly, barely controlling the slight slur. I knew how she'd react if I were drunk.

"S-stop the car."

"No." I repeated, pushing the gas. "I need to talk to you."

"We can t-talk...at a slower pace." Her breathing quickened as the car went faster. The speed...it was calming, it was the only thing I could control right now. I couldn't control Shay, my life had come unhinged and spun out of my control, and I couldn't control myself. I had done this, I had spun everything out of proportions and this was the price I paid. The car was something I could control. I could keep it moving forward while everything in my life took a step back. "John! Y-you're going too fast..."

"I have a habit of doing that." I muttered, narrowly swerving a trash can.

"P-Please John...stop." I looked over at her. Her chest rose and fell quickly in short gasps. Her cheeks were slick with fresh tears. It mesmerized me; how I could screw something so perfect up so fast. Reaching out a hand, I stroked her cheek. She pulled away from me sharply, as if I were a venomous snake. "W-watch...the road."

"Shay... I-I love you."

"J-John..."

"I'm sorry...f-forgive me." I continued, barely watching the road out of the corner of my eye. She shook her head, tears glazing her eyes.

"D-don't look at me, John."

"But..you're beautiful..."

"You're drunk..." She said softly. "P-please, John. P-pull over. You're scaring me. J-Johnny...please...you-you're scaring me." Her hands were twisting in her lap as she broke eye contact with me.

"Look at me, angel." I said softly. "I need you. Michelle..." I swerved again. "Means nothing to me...nothing. You're my life, Shay." I stated. Okay, so she knew I wasn't exactly...sober. Everything was a haze right now...my life was spinning...or was that the car? The world was blurry, filled with sharp screams and skidding tired. It was a rollercoaster, spinning and turning until the colors blended into each other, indistinguishable behind splatters of read. Glass was breaking...the windows? Or my dreams? All I knew was that me head hurt, and I was dizzy. Everything still spun and the scrapping of metal against asphalt caught my attention.

Okay, I lied. I didn't have control of the car.

"J-John!" Shay screamed and I looked at her. She was clutching the seat, barely keeping herself down as the car continued to spin out of control. I couldn't move, I was paralyzed, tied down to my seat in fear. Splintered glass struck my back as I twisted to reach out to hear. Shay was slipping away, moving out of my grasp. The car turned over, flipping us upside down and she lost her grip on the seat. I could barely see, red ebbed in my vision.

Metal was twisted and dented beneath the force of each spin and tumble. I reached my hand out to Shay again, brushing my fingers against her cheek as the windshield broke. Spinning violently on its top, the car was erratic. Nausea crept withing me, mixing with fear as I saw Shay's face...or what I could of it before she went away. The car door was gone, I noticed as the car slowed to a stop. The windows were broken and the top dented down.

The fuzziness in my head ebbed in and out and I blinked. My hand reached out to where Shay should've been sitting. Then I remembered something...I looked down. I hadn't been paralyzed. It had been my seat belt. My stomach sank as I saw through the hole the door left.

A body was in the middle of the road. Blond hair pooled at the asphalt and a leg was bent abnormally. The chest didn't rise, nor fall from what I could tell. It dawned on me, then and there. I had been wearing my seat belt. And Shay...Shay hadn't.


	35. And Burn

***Teardrop*...this is the end, guys. This is the last chapter of Unlikely Attractions and I want you all to know that I am so glad you guys stuck around for the entirety, and shared this time with me. I love you all and this has been an amazing experience, gah...there's so much to say. Damn...it's been 34 chapters and I'm baffled by how much you guys loved this story. I'm sad to see it end, but there'll be a sequel, I believe. But, it might not be up so soon, as I have work, driver's training, and school starts again in a couple months, so I'll be a bit busy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, you know the drill, I only own Shay, and any other OCs mentioned in this story, everyone else is property of themselves. This is a work of fiction. Thank you all, Love lots, please read and review. ALSO, there will prolly be spelling/grammatical errors throughout this, I wasn't patient enough to get it proofread, lol...heheheh...**

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_**John POV**_

I groaned, blinking as a bright light flicked on. As my eyes adjusted I realized that I was in a hospital, and Randy had just entered. His face looked strange, a mix of two totally different emotions, as if concern and anger has melted together. Turns out, I was right, because his lips twitched into a concerned scowl.

"Ass."

"Well hey, good evening to you too. No, I didn't just wake up in the hospital with no recollection of how I got here."

"Yeah, you did hit your head pretty hard in the accident. It'll make me sound like an ass, but quite frankly, you deserved more than just a measly bump on the head and scratches. Guess when you practically force a girl into your car, she isn't in the mindset to buckle her seat belt."

My eyebrow rose. "What are you – shit...I barely remember last night, alright? All I remember is getting into the car with Shay, driving and then it all goes blank."

"Doc said that would happen, it's the hangover. Give it a while, it should come back to you."

"Why are you pissed at me, though?" I asked.

"You drove drunk, John. And you might have cost a girl her life, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Shay..." I trailed off. "I-I...she okay?"

"No." He answered bluntly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I didn't come in here with the goal of being an ass, alright? It's just...I knew the girl for the better part of my life, and it sucks that I wasn't as kind to her as I could've been. Did you know, I barely recognized her when Adam re-introduced us during Rated RKO? That doesn't matter, but you need to understand how delicate life can be."

"I understand that, Randy...I'm sorry." I said softly, not exactly sure what I should say.

"Sorry? It's not me you should be apologizing to. You better thank me, I warded off Chris, Jay, and Adam, as well as the few other people she has behind her. You can't just critically injure someone, and say sorry. If you see them, I'd keep that word out of the sentence." Randy stated, pulling a chair to my bedside and sitting down as he put his hands together. "Listen, I'm your best friend, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And I was worried, trust me, I was. When we got a call saying that you and Shay got into a car accident, I was worried. We've been through a lot of shit together. But, then I come here and find out that you aren't that injured, but Shay is; I was damn near ecstatic. I didn't lose my best friend. Then, I saw the cop, he said that you lost control of the vehicle, and although you weren't drunk enough for it to be considered illegal, you were driving under the influence anyway, and, if that girl down the hall dies, you can be tried for vehicular homicide."

"Wait...die?" I bit my lip as a new flurry of anxiety thudded in my chest. She couldn't die...she was strong, stronger than anyone I new. She had made it through the hardest times of her life, and could still find it in her heart to love. And I could be the one to take it all away...she couldn't die. She couldn't, I'd never forgive myself if she died by my hand. "C-can I go see her?"

"If they'll let you, you're not exactly their favorite person right now, John."

"Still, I want to see her..." I insisted, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and standing.

"Sit down, John. You're not ready to get back on your feet yet." Randy chided, rubbing a hand over his face and over his head. A nurse came in, and jumped in surprise when she saw me standing.

"Mr. Hennigan...I see you've woken up." She cleared her throat. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." I replied, ignoring the scowl she gave me. "Sorry..."

"Well, you seem to have recovered somewhat, I've checked your vitals, everything looks good. We were just waiting on you to wake up, you'll have to stay here for another hour or so, but until then, feel free to walk around. It'll help the circulation in your body." She nodded curtly, turning and walking away. I looked down at myself, dressed in a hospital gown.

"I'm...not walking around like this." I muttered, to which Randy rolled his eyes, reaching into his bag and bringing out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Here." He handed them to me as an awkward silence floated in. Things had changed, in a matter of hours everything had changed. People's perceptions and opinions, their feelings and emotions hijacked and thrown into a blender. I glanced at the door.

"Down the hall?"

"Don't." Randy stated immediately. "You best just forget about it, you won't be welcome there, regardless of how much grovelling you do. They won't let you see her."

"Did they let you?"

"Yes." Randy stated, about to add on when I cut him off.

"Then why not m–"

"Well, I didn't lose control of the car." Randy said bluntly, and I felt the hot burning of anger coursing through me. That wasn't fair. I wasn't the only one to blame.

"I-it's her fault too."

"So, it's her fault you got drunk? She forced the alcohol down your throat? She forced you into that car?"

"N-no...but she got into the car, didn't she?"

"Because you wanted her too, didn't you? That's why you called her, isn't it?"

"How do you know all this? I didn't tell you anything, and by what you're saying about her condition, Shay didn't either."

He paused and sighed, "Cody saw her leave with you..."

"You're taking his word?"

"Yes, I trust him...and I trust you, but John, the majority of this was your fault."

I bit my lip and sat back down. A sigh passed my lips as I realized he was right. The majority of this was my fault. Had I not jumped to conclusions, she wouldn't have broken up with me, and she wouldn't have answered my drunken call. She wouldn't have gotten into the car, and she wouldn't be in this hospital. "You're right." I muttered. "I really screwed up."

"No shit, Sherlock." He said, and I didn't answer him. Taking my clothes, I walked into the bathroom and got dressed. Coming out, I finished pulling my shirt on. "What exactly are your plans? I mean, drunk driving...possibly vehicular manslaughter...you're in deep shit, John. But that's not what actually troubles me. What baffles me is how this happened, how it ended. John, you were the last person I thought would fall in love with Shay, but you did. And Adam...Adam was the same, he didn't think she'd fall for you. After Dave and Nick, he thought she'd keep her heart closer to home, but she didn't. No, she fell for you just as hard as you fell for her. We just didn't think you'd hurt her." He chuckled dryly. "At least, not this bad. If she makes it through...you should forget about her. You should leave it behind, because she won't take you back. And trying to get back into her heart is a hopeless cause."

"I'll never forget her." I replied coldly. "I can't forget her. I'll fight for her."

"You already fought for her, and you lost that fight, John. It's about damn time you realize that not everything can be fixed with a smile and a grovel."

"I understand that, Randy...but she..."

"I know. She means everything to you, but you can't have everything, John. If you hold onto her after she lets you go...it'll drive you crazy." Randy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "John, listen to me. The fairytale is over. This isn't going to have a happy ending, and you need to accept that. We have, we know it's over. She'll try to move on, and you can't have her. Your turn is over, you affected her life for a while, brought her out of her shell, and now you'll move on."

"We...we were supposed to last forever." I shut my eyes, not bothering to fight back the tear that slipped my eye. "I didn't want this to happen."

"None of us did. I know you didn't, but it did. You made a mistake. You made a decision and know you have to face the consequences. It's not fair, I know it isn't, but life isn't fair. You can't honestly expect her to take you back after you cheat on her and almost kill her." Randy stated bluntly. He was about to speak again when Adam poked his head in the door.

"Hey...Randy." He gave half a smile to his former tag-team partner before his eyes fell on me. The light left his eyes and a scowl flitted across his face. "S-Shay's awake, Randy. She'd want you to come see her."

"So, she'll be fine?" I asked quickly.

"Alive, yes...fine, well...no. She won't be fine for a long time." The Canadian stated. "So, no, she's not dead."

"Thanks, Adam." Randy stated, getting up. I frowned, stepping back. There was a morbid, dark and sullen aura floating around the area. It hung in the air, pulling at our hearts and minds. "I'll be there soon, Adam." He nodded towards the Canadian, who stepped back and shut the door. Randy turned back to me.

"Like I was saying, you should back off it, when this blows over. When Shay gets out of this hospital, leave her alone. The game is over, John. All your extra chances are burned up, and you can't start over."

"What kind of metaphorical shit is that?" I spat, shifting my eyes away from him. "I know I made a mistake, okay? I know, and I know sorry won't fix it. I know I can't change it, but I don't think I can just let her go so easily."

"I know it won't be easy, John. But for God's sake, John, it's the only way we can get passed this. Listen, I have to go, I want to visit Shay, alright? Maybe I'll talk them into letting you see her."

"Alright, just...I want to be by myself for awhile. I need to think."

"Yeah, you you." Randy added, and I gave him a look. He shrugged. "Didn't know what else to say." The all-too-familiar silence hovered in the air again as he left the room.

_**Shay POV**_

I coughed a little as Adam and Randy entered the room. "Hey,." Adam began gingerly, smiling sweetly. "I brought Randy."

At the mention of his name, Randy gave a small small and a wave. "Hi, Shay."

"W-well...don't just stand there..." I coughed. "C-come here." I gave a tiny smile that quickly turned into a grimace. The two sat down in two chairs along a wall, Jay was in one that sat by my beside. He gave a fleeting glance to Adam and Randy. "It's...great to see you, Randy."

"What the hell..." Randy whispered, taking in my appearance.

"W-what? I-I just woke up." I was confused. I remembered getting into a car with John, then soon later having the car swing out of control. After that, it went blank and fuzzy. I remembered John, the look in his eyes, the flurry of emotions swirling in the car. I remembered glass shattering and embedding in my skin, the searing torrent of fear that rippled through me. I suppose it was a bit my fault too, I hadn't buckled the freakin' seat belt. "C-can...where's a mirror?"

"No, Shay...you don't have to..."

"C-can you at least tell me what h-happened to me?"

"You were in a crash, and you got injured, badly." Adam began.

"Yeah, I feel like crap."

"You almost died." Jay finished, and a burning silence fluttered in. I gulped as the word sunk in. Died...death...it was all too real.

"Almost?"

"They fixed the internal bleeding, a punctured lung, and they set your leg, and the broken jaw...but the risk of infection is kinda high, they say. You got really hurt, Shay." Jay took my hand in his. "And you almost died during surgery. They told us, that when they found you at the crash, you weren't breathing, but they got your heart started on the way to the hospital." Jay choked up, swallowing hard as he took a moment to clear his throat. His eyes glazed over. "S-Shay, I'm tired of almost losing you all the time."

"We're glad you're okay." Adam interjected, his face devoid of any traces of a smile. "We're we didn't lose you."

"W-where's...Chris?" I asked, biting my lip. "A-and John?"

"Chris is on his way. John is right down the hall. He's alive." He stated when he saw the look on my face. "Do you wanna see him?" Adam added.

"Ad..." Randy began, with Jay echoing him.

"Guys...can I talk to you both outside for a moment?" Adam decided, and they followed him out the door.

Gingerly, I put a hand to my face and felt a cushion of bandages. I felt along the texture of the bandaging. They went along the majority of the left side of my jaw. Looking down at my arms, I noted the several small bandages covering them. My leg was elevated and in a cast. My face grew hot and I felt tears welling in my eyes. Shutting them, I drew in a few breaths, trying to calm myself down. I knew it was bad, I had been hurt badly. Putting my hand to my chest, I could feel the bandages beneath the hospital gown.

My thoughts flickered to John. The man who put me here was the one I thought I could trust, the one I thought wouldn't hurt me. He had promised so, and sufficiently broken said promise. I could lie and say I had expected it to happen, but I won't. The love, the sweet honesty he gave to me welded me to him. He had drawn me in like a moth to flame, and now I lay here with singed wings. There was an irony in it, I suppose; a cruel turn of events that sent my mind reeling. The one who protected me ended up hurting me in the long run. The one who fixed a broken heart turned around and shattered it again, and this time the pieces may be broken beyond repair.

The door opened and I looked up, expecting to see Adam, Randy, and Jay; but was greeted by Chris. His eyes softened as he saw me and he quickly moved into the room. He took a seat beside me and took one of my hands. "Shay..."

"Chris." I nodded.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's n-not your fault, Chris." I assured him, completely baffled to how he could possibly imagine this being his fault.

"I shouldn't have said anything to you. I shouldn't have told you I loved you. I shouldn't..." He was about to go on when I stopped him.

"C-Chris, don't do that. Y-you'll drive yourself crazy thinking about that. The what-ifs, the shouldn't haves or should haves, i-it's not worth it. W-what happened, happened. You can't change it, and you can't keep worrying over what you did right or wrong." I sighed, biting my lip. "We'll get through this, this is just another milestone. I-it's freaking huge, b-but with time, we'll get through."

"Shay, I want to stay, but only if you want me too..." The door had opened and John stood there, his hands in his pockets. Chris stood up instantly. He dropped my hand and walked over to the door. "Hennigan." He stood to the side. I looked away, not wanting to witness a conflict should one arise. "I'll see you later, Shay. I promise." I heard him say before he left and the door shut again. Footsteps padded to the bed and I heard the man clear his throat before I looked at him.

A bandage ran across his forehead, and aside from that, I could see no other injuries. Alright, I'll admit my injuries were partially my fault. I should've worn my seat belt. He looked into my eyes, as if asking to sit down. "May..."

"Yes." I stated, feeling the sting of the formality and coldness that had overtaken the room. The usual sense of warmth, comfort and ease was gone. He took the seat in silence and reached for my hand before he took it back. "J-John...why are you here?"

"I needed to talk to you. I-I need to say something. I didn't want this to happen, Shay."

"I know you didn't, b-but...it happened, John. We can't deny that." I said, my voice slightly shaking. I had to make a decision, precisely and quickly.

"I'm not going to say sorry because I know it won't change anything. I still love you, Shay. I am so in love with you it fuckin' hurts, alright? I want you, and I can't live without you. I need you, I need you with me and I know you're hurt and I didn't want to hurt you, Shay." He took in a shaky breath. "And I don't want to lose you, alright?"

"You can't always have what you want, John." I said softly. "You made a mistake, one that I'm not ready to forgive. I can't forgive you right now, John. I put all of my trust in you, I opened up the darkest parts of me to someone I barely knew...had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have let the storyline become more than that, a storyline. I took a chance with myself and I'm glad I did. I know how to live now, and I'm thankful for that, but...you almost killed me, John. You broke my heart and you almost killed me...I-I can't...go like this." I looked directly at him. I saw the anguish and remorse flooding his eyes, the sheen of tears covering them. He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair.

"Give me another chance, please." He pleaded. "Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"

"N-not always, John...I-I need a while to think, to be with other people...we need to start seeing other people, John. I-I...this...this is broken, and I'm not sure it can be fixed. W-we need to move on..."

"What if I can't?" John asked suddenly, his cheeks slick with tears and I had to look away. I had to be strong, be able to move on. It'll be hard, it'll be painful, but it had to be done. His voice shook. "W-what if I can't."

"You can, John."

"But I don't _want to."_

Tears escaped my eyes. "P-please, John. I can't...please understand..." He took my hand.

"I hope in time, you'll forgive me. A-and if you move on, I'll be glad to have been in your life for a while, but know...just know that I won't give up on you, Shay. I should be going, b-but before I do...can you just tell me if there's any hope of a future...between us?"

Figures. He had always been one to never give up, and I should've known. He never gave up getting me, and he wouldn't give me up easily either. I bit my lip, I wanted to say no, but I couldn't. I knew that the fire within this hadn't burnt out yet. There was still a glimmer, ever faint but still burning. It wasn't raging like it used to. He had almost killed me, and broken my heart, more so than anyone else. Yet, there was a passion I felt with him that I had never felt before, and it was something I couldn't give up either. Slowly, I looked up at him, into those beautiful chocolate eyes, and drew in a breath.

"Maybe."


	36. Epilogue

**Okay, this is like, a long time coming, but I decided to place an epilogue on Unlikely Attractions. Kinda late, but hey, better late than never. I only own Shay, and this would probably be the opportune moment to tell you all that I have posted the sequel to this story. It's titled Moth to a Flame, so y'all can go and check that out. **

**I think that's it, so please read, review, and enjoy the epilogue. I hope to see you guys tune in to the sequel. :D**

_Love, Kiwi_

* * *

_Shay POV_

I winced as Adam narrowly missed the corner of the wall. It had been a week or so since I was put into the hospital and now I was just itching to leave. These walls were constricting, the air was suffocating, and the sanitized smell gave me a headache. Adam murmured an apology, chuckling as I swatted him.

"You're feeling better."

"I-I guess," I shrugged, "I'm just glad to be out of here."

"Yeah, I hate hospitals," he shuddered. I doubted anybody did like hospitals. I had spent too much of my time there, from injury to injury. He pressed the automatic door and the fresh air washed over me. He demanded I stay with him, apparently a klutz in a wheelchair wasn't a good idea to him. And, he was worried, like he always was. He got me into the car and put the chair in the back before going to the driver's seat.

"Adam, I-I could just stay at home."

"Until you're out of that chair, you're living with me. I'm retiring anyway, I'll be home more often," he stated, "You'll be okay, Shay."

Two weeks later, I was lying on his couch, my injured leg propped up as I flipped through the TV channels. It was the same thing, stupid reruns and pointless reality shows. Adam came in, holding a plate of food, "Food?"

"Sure," I agreed taking the plate as he sat in the recliner next to the couch, "Thank you, Adam," I said. I appreciated this, probably more than he knew. Had I been at home, it wouldn't have been the same. As much as I hated being helpless, I was starting to accept it.

"You're welcome," he paused, as if hesitating to say something else, "Do you want to talk about it?" John, yeah that wasn't on my list. I hoped he wouldn't push it, but a part of me knew he would, "I'm sorry it happened, alright?"

"I know," I whispered, "I loved him, I really did, and it's hard," I felt my voice shake and I tried to swallow it down. "It's hard to think that he lost his trust in me, and that he was getting back at me for something I didn't do. He made me feel like I really and truly belonged there, that someone could look over the walls I built. I put so much of myself into this, and look where it got me, Adam."

"Life isn't fair, Shay. I know you know that, and I wish it would've gone better. I'm here for you, you know that right? Jay and Chris are just a phone call away."

"Yeah, I know. I-I just... wish that for once something would go right. I want something in my life to leave me happy, not broken and discarded," I pushed myself onto my hands and lowered myself into the wheelchair by the armrest, "I can't keep my own goddamn life afloat. Things fall apart at every turn and I just... don't understand."

Adam slid over and wiped away the tear that was budding in my eye, "Listen, you've gone through so much shit in your life, Shay. You'll move on, Shay. You always do and if I know you like I think I do, you'll get stronger from this. You're smart, you're gorgeous, and you'll be okay," he kissed her forehead and she couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto her face.

"Thank you, Adam... for everything."

"You never need to thank me," he patted her shoulder, "I'm going to go take the dogs for a walk, will you be alright by yourself for a little while?"

"Yeah, go. Make sure they don't get fat and lazy," she chuckled, shaking her head as she wheeled herself to the patio. Sliding open the door, she maneuvered herself to the middle of it. The sun was starting to set, setting the water beneath it ablaze with reds and golds.

It was the ending of a long, spiraling day. From sun up to sun down, it was my life, it was the story of John and I. From the dim, glimmering morning to the brightest afternoon, and then the fading sun. A start, a middle, and an end. Wasn't that what life was about anyway? There would be rain, there would be sunshine. There would be cold and warmth, it all depended on the outlook, the greater picture.

The sun would have to set on this day so it could rise on another. This was the end so tomorrow could begin. This was only the end of today, this point in her life. Tomorrow would be a new beginning.

It'd be hard, damn right impossible at times, but I knew I'd make it through. It wouldn't be tomorrow, or the next day, but it'd happen. Sooner or later, I'd look back on this and realize just how far I'd come. So this wasn't the end of me, it was just a new beginning.


End file.
